Amon Simutowe

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Amon Simutowe was born January 6, 1982 in Ndola, Zambia, and is an International Master of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation. Amon burst on the chess scene and scored a number of tournament successes. This would be unprecedented for a player from sub-Saharan Africa. Simutowe took up the royal sport from his brother at the age of 10, won his first tournament at 12, and won the Zambian National Championship at age 14. He earned the International Master's title at the 1998 African Zonal (zone 4.3) with the required 66% score and later went on to win the first of his two African Junior Championships. In 1999, he scored 12/13 followed by an 11/11 score in 2000.

Upon his rise came a string of successes including an equal 2nd at the 2000 World Junior Chess Championships in Armenia where he scored 8½-4½. He scored 6½-4½ in the British Championship including a beautiful win against IM Colin Crouch.[1] He represented Zambia at the 2000 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey and turned in an outstanding performance on board one with an 8-2 score.[2] For his effort, he earned a silver medal and national acclaim and was named Zambia's "Sportsman of the Year" in 2001.[3] In 2002, he moved to the United States to pursue higher education after being awarded a chess scholarship. While at student at UTD, he helped the chess team win two national collegiate championships.

After earning a degree in finance and economics with high honors in December 2006, he embarked on a path to earn his final Grandmaster norm. After embarking on a tour of tournaments in the U.S., he traveled to the Netherlands to compete in the 2007 Euwe Stimulus tournament.[4] Simutowe scored a stunning victory and earned his final Grandmaster norm scoring an undefeated 7½-1½. After he completes the final rating requirement, he will become the 6th Grandmaster in the history of Africa, the first from the sub-Saharan region. Simutowe qualified for the World Championship cycle in 2000, 2001 and 2004. His story is remarkable in that he had no trainer and few resources and is on the verge of reaching the highest honor that chess has to offer.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Amon Simutowe - Colin Crouch, MSO Ron Banwell mem 2000
  2. ^ The Talking Drum (IM Amon Simutowe)
  3. ^ Zambia’s Sports Council selects IM Simutowe as its top Sportsman!!
  4. ^ "Zambezi Shark" at Euwe GM tourney

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