‘I’m checking you, mate’: Chess champions face off at Voortrekker Monument

Two chess champions went head-to-head in a game of chess at the Voortrekker Monument to launch chess tables added to the Historic Trail Garden.

South African chess champions Daniel Cawdery and Justin Wilken challenged Solidarity chair Flip Buys to a few rounds in the garden to officially inaugurate the chessboards.

There was silence in the gardens as chess pieces moved along the black-and-white blocks as the three players challenged each other in three 15-minute games.

The overall winner, Cawdery, said he would like to see the level of chess increase.

“Chess is not popular here, but it’s very popular abroad. It’s one of the sports with the most people involved, probably more than football,” he said.

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Cawdery said playing chess stimulated the brain and assisted in strategic thinking and problem recognition.

“Chess is extremely good for children, especially in maths.”

Cawdery’s father taught him chess at the age of three and he started playing competitively at age seven. His favourite chess piece was the knights.

“There’s a lot of tricks involved with forks and stuff. I like it because there’s a lot of complexities in knights,” he said.

Wilken said besides the maths benefits of chess, it was a game where males and females could compete fairly.

“It’s also a sport you can play until the day you die.

“You never have to stop playing.”

Wilken said chess offered many opportunities, both professionally and personally.

Buys started playing chess in 1972 and said the longest game of chess he has played was seven hours during a South African tournament. Buys said he loved playing different variants of game plans, but added it was difficult playing it against his two opponents.

“They know all the variations so they will win.

“I tried to play it safe but still lost,” he said.

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Buys said he hoped to host a South African championship at the monument in the future.

Monument spokesperson Gerhard Pretorius said the chess boards in the garden aimed to get the youth playing.

Pretorius said the monument expanded its cultural and gaming experiences by creating a world-class interactive museum experience with chessboards in the Historic Trail Garden.

“The chess boards offer visitors the opportunity to relax in the beautiful scenery of the monument with a game,” he said.