Key veterans back for Eswatini Olympiad clashes

MBABANE – Eswatini has named its strongest available pieces for the second round of the FIDE Chess Olympiad today, Thursday September 17, 2026.

The national teams look to bounce back after heavy first-round defeats.

Candidate Master Mbongeni Mabuza and Nomcebo Sibisi both return to the line-ups after watching yesterday’s matches from the sidelines. At noon local time (3pm in Samarkand, Uzbekistan), the men’s team play Burundi while the women’s side will take on Zimbabwe.

Both Eswatini sides suffered 4-0 losses in the opening round on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with the men falling to Chinese Taipei and the women succumbing to Mexico.

With those results behind them, Eswatini have turned to experience for the second outing, bringing back two of the country’s most experienced players.

Mabuza, Eswatini’s highest-rated player, leads the men’s team from board one. He was part of the team that claimed bronze at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest and is expected to set the tone against Burundi. The full men’s line-up is:

Board 1: CM Mbongeni Mabuza

Board 2: Nkosivile Mabuza

Board 3: Santiago De Nobrega

Board 4: Nhlanhla Simelane

In the women’s section Sibisi takes board one for the third Olympiad of her career. She was a member of the gold-medal team at the 44th Chess Olympiad in India in 2022, alongside the national champion Nolwazi Nkwanyana, who is among the reserves for today’s game.

Sibisi has often been given the toughest assignment in previous Olympiads and will again shoulder that responsibility against Zimbabwe. The women’s team is:

Board 1: Nomcebo Sibisi

Board 2: WCM Sincobile Dlamini

Board 3: Tivumele Ngozo

Board 4: Siphosethu Mkhweli

With their strongest players back on the board, Eswatini will be hoping to put the first-round setbacks behind them and begin scoring points against their African opponents.

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