Tanzania’s women’s chess team bounced back strongly at the 46th Chess Olympiad, sweeping Palau 4-0 to secure its second victory of the tournament.
The result came in the fifth round of the global competition in Samarkand, where Tanzania won all four games to collect two match points and improve its position ahead of the next round.
The victory provided a contrasting outcome for Tanzania’s two teams, with the women securing a clean sweep while the Open team suffered a 4-0 defeat to Cameroon after losing all four games.
Tanzania Chess Association (TACA) information officer Mussa Mangula said the Open team was represented by Parsa Nassar, Henry Marwa, Farqad Abeid and Rashid Sharif, while Patrick Sarota was rested for the round.
In the women’s section, Tanzania fielded 2026 national champion Anahi Shah alongside Neema Adam, Bertha Mkude and Maryam Gwae. Lissa Joseph was rested.
“In the sixth round, the Open team will face Sao Tome and Principe, while the women’s team will play Namibia,” Mr Mangula said.
The Olympiad is being played over 11 rounds, with each team fielding four players in every round. A victory earns two points, a draw one point and a defeat no points.
For Tanzania’s Open team, the campaign has proved difficult, having started with a defeat to South Korea before losing to Namibia in the second round and Cameroon in the fifth.
The women’s team also faced tough opposition in the opening rounds, including Uzbekistan III and Barbados.
Against Barbados, Shah held Julisa Figueroa to a draw despite the significant difference in their ratings. Figueroa entered the game with a rating of 1,772, compared with Shah’s 1,511.
Barbados, however, won the overall match 3½-½.
The 4-0 victory over Palau now gives Tanzania’s women a boost heading into their sixth-round clash with Namibia as they seek to maintain their momentum in the tournament.