Malawi National Chess Teams have concluded their participation at the 2026 World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, completing 11 rounds of competition against teams from around the world.
Open Team
The Open Team or the Men’s team, entered the Olympiad ranked 121st and finished 129th.
The team recorded victories against Sierra Leone, Jersey, Antigua and Barbuda, Timor-Leste and one other opponent, while suffering losses against six opponents during the competition.
Chess Association of Malawi (CHESSAM) spokesperson, Francisco Mwangupuli, said the players recorded an average win rate of approximately 45%, with FIDE Master Joseph Mwale recording the highest individual win rate at 50%.
“A notable performance came in the opening round, when Candidate Master George Mwale held Grand Master (rated 2026) Ioannis Papaioannou (rated 2608) of Greece to a draw,” he said.
According to Mwangupuli, 5 players in the Open Team already held international titles going into the Olympiad, while Aaron Phiri was the only untitled player in the lineup.
One of the team’s objectives was for Aaron to attain the Candidate Master title, which required a 50% score over his first seven games. Aaron finished just short of the required mark and therefore did not attain the title at this Olympiad.
The team also finished 17th among the 49 African teams participating in the Open Section.
Women’s Team
The Women’s Team started the Olympiad ranked 137th and finished 142nd.
The team recorded four victories, one draw and six losses, with wins against Gabon, Niger and two other opponents.
“The biggest individual highlights came from Anny George and Shalom Kapende, who both earned the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title during the Olympiad,” he said.
Anny earned her title earlier in the competition, while Shalom secured hers after drawing against Bouavone Keosavangh of Laos in Round 10.
The two title achievements were particularly significant as the Women’s Team had set earning at least one international title as one of its objectives for the Olympiad.
“CHESSAM will award bonuses to the new title earners as well as team members, with reference to performance,” Mwangupuli said.
He added that CHESSAM congratulates all the players, captains and delegation members for representing Malawi in Samarkand and for their commitment throughout the competition.
Overall, the team’s performance has highlighted some areas that need to be addressed, particularly the need for more intensive preparation ahead of the Olympiad.
Mwangupuli stressed that this should include a dedicated team camp with rigorous training and preparation.
However, he said: “Due to resource constraints, such a camp was not held this time”.
Azam TV and National Bank of Malawi sponsored the teams’ attire.
