TANZANIAN student Cleophas Charles Mrope, a second-year Business Analytics student at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland, recently participated in the Polish Academic Chess Championship, representing both his university and his country with distinction.

Mrope competed in the individual tournament alongside students and faculty from various UMCS faculties, including Economics; Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science; Law and Administration; Earth Sciences; Political Science and Journalism; Philosophy and Sociology; and Pedagogy and Psychology.

A former member of Tanzania’s national team at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, Mrope also played a pivotal role in UMCS’s performance in the team competition of the Polish Academic Chess Championship. 

He secured four points for the university - three of which were decisive victories that contributed significantly to the team's success.

UMCS defeated teams from the University of Opole, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, the Medical University of Lublin, and Białystok University of Technology, finishing in 14th place overall among participating universities.

The championship featured a highly competitive field, drawing over 500 players, including 50 titled competitors - among them two female grandmasters and seven international masters.

Highlighting his growing recognition in Polish academic chess circles, Mrope was selected as the promotional face for the official event poster of the championship. 

His coach, FIDE Master (FM) Zbigniew Pyda, who also served as Chief Arbiter of the tournament, commended Mrope’s rapid improvement over the past year, noting his increasing impact on the competitive chess scene in Poland.