R’fontein schools shine at West Rand chess tourney
Two Randfontein primary schools were among the top three on the podium at a West Rand chess tournament held at Silverstar.
A total of 120 learners from five West Rand primary schools – three from Randfontein – recently put their chess skills to the test during the annual Tsogo Sun Moves for Life chess tournament sponsored by Silverstar.
FJL Wells Primary Mine School in Uitvalfontein; Mohlakano Primary School from Mohlakeng, and Hartzstraat Primary School from Toekomsrus were the three participating Randfontein schools.
The top-ranking schools in the tournament were Nooitgedacht 88 Primary School (first place), FJL Wells Primary Mine School (second place) while Mohlakano Primary School and Mashudu Primary School shared third place. The gold medal winners in the individual competition were Tiisetso Shoai from Mohlakano Primary School, Karen Dzimati from Nooitgedacht Primary School, and Breyten Golden and Chadley Minnaar from Hartzstraat Primary School.
According to Annie Hodes from Angelfish PR & Events, the Tsogo Sun Moves for Life chess programme operates nationally in 49 schools with 18 807 participating learners, 504 educators, and 16 tutors from local communities, and is sponsored by seven of Tsogo Sun’s casinos. The programme on the West Rand is sponsored by Silverstar and accommodates 4 765 learners from eight local primary schools.
The Tsogo Sun programme promotes education through chess, as an intervention to unlock cognitive potential.
“This valuable chess programme is helping to make the learning of maths, science, and life skills concepts fun and exciting. Silverstar has supported Tsogo Sun Moves for Life in Kagiso for four years, and we have been impressed by the enthusiasm and hard work put in by the learners, participating teachers, and the school principals,” said Anneke Potgieter, General Manager of Silverstar.
“The learner tournaments, which are hosted by our sponsoring casinos around the country, provide a platform for learners to play in a rated tournament. This increases the number of tournaments they have played in the year and could enable some of them to represent their region. At the same time, the tournaments also give the learners an excellent opportunity to improve their competitive chess skills; to interact with chess players from other schools; to learn valuable lessons in good sportsmanship, concentration, and patience, and mostly, to have a fun day filled with new experiences and many treats,” said Shanda Paine.
She continued that the programme intentionally links chess principles to life skills and mathematics, while also working towards impacting the improvement of the educational performance of as many children as possible, by unlocking their full mental and social capabilities.
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