Youngsters reach for the stars in the game of chess
Chess tournament, Zoo lake, Chess heroes, blit
Excitement and anticipation filled the Zoo Lake Bowls Club on July 2 during the Chess Heroes Blitz tournament.
Chess Heroes Blitz founder Corno Klaver said the turnout was impressive and he hoped to continue hosting tournaments in future.
“My co-founder and I met during tournaments and eventually came up with an idea to host ones ourselves. I didn’t expect to have a turnout of 60 players for the blitz, usually have a turnout of 30 to 40 players. There were a lot of new faces today which is exciting and hopefully we can grow it to more than 100 people,” he said.
Klaver added he was an experienced chess player who aimed to coach more players.
“I have been playing chess since I was three years old and have been coaching full time for over 10 years. Chess is very good for the mind, we are also thinking of doing development coaching… we want to start getting more chess boards in townships and encourage chess there.”
An 11-year-old player Kajol Naidoo said playing chess at an early age was one of the best decision her parents had made for her.
“I started playing when I was three and played for fun. At the age of four I played my first tournament and enjoyed it and played consistently since then. Attending the chess prizegiving motivated me to strive for the trophy which I eventually won and became the South African Chess Champion,” she said.
Kajol added she also enjoyed travelling abroad to compete.
“I’ve been to China, India and Namibia. I love playing chess and will never stop competing until I become a woman grandmaster.”
Master in chess Banele Mhango said chess tournaments were a healthy distraction for him.
“I am here today because I have enough experience in the board game, and to keep busy. I qualified for the chess Olympiad where I will soon represent South Africa in India,” he said.
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