Thus, the game of chess finds itself in a stalemate. Or is it a checkmate?

The 2007 inter-club chess competition got back on track on September 22-23 at the Novotel Hotel, attracting four clubs playing each other in the first of two legs (the second one taking place on October 6-7).”

At the completion of the first leg, the prospects for the University clubs were good. National University of Rwanda (NUR) chess club lead the rankings with 9 points, followed by the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) with 7 points. Kigali chess club, in third place, had 4½ points and defending champions Rugenge were at the bottom of the table with 3½ points.

At this stage of the competition, the university clubs are the only ones unbeaten with NUR winning 2 and drawing 1, whilst SFB won 1 and drew 2 games.

The situation in the competition rankings is typical for the status of chess in Rwanda, whose chess community is mainly composed of students from schools of higher learning and universities.

Poor management of the federation has also hampered the game’s progress, and the chess federation’s new management – brought on board recently to put things right – is yet too young too have had an impact.

Lack of financing has also affected the federation and its operations; for example, they have a debt of US$ 600 towards the international chess federation, and if they don’t manage to pay up, they will not be allowed to participate in a tournament due to take place in Germany next May.

Minimum smarts are required

On top of this official misery, chess in Rwanda is also not regarded very well. It’s not a hip game, played – apart from the university students – mainly by old people. This makes it not very popular with the youth, and might even threaten the future of chess in the country. Moreover, given that it’s hardly a contact sport, hyperactive youngsters might have the impression that it is a boring game, seeing two people sitting on opposite sides of the board, hardly moving.

However, looking on the positive side, chess makes you look intelligent. “Minimum smarts are indeed required,” says Godfrey Kabera, former president of the chess club at SFB. He points out that, because of the people’s negative attitude towards the game, it is difficult to find sponsors to chip in for a tournament.

“For example, at the School we only have one chess board,” Kabera explains. “Moreover, we depend on the university, which sometimes does not accept our transport bills, so we end up paying for it ourselves.”    

Maxence Murara, the secretary general of the Rwandan chess federation, says that the limited finances have a serious impact on their performance. He explains that they only receive financial support from the ministry of sports when they participate in international tournaments. Another issue, Murara says, is the lack of proper training and preparation for such events, with players being autodidacts who learn from experience.

“We would also like to extend our programs to primary and secondary schools, to inform pupils about chess,” the secretary general explains. “Unfortunately, at this moment our financial situation does not allow it.”