JOUBERT PARK – A chess fest that will have you drooling
Tshepiso Mametela
Chess championships extraordinaire, Kamo, sparring in a heated affair.
Marauding recreational scenes synonymous with the exploits of famous chess grandmasters such as Bobby Fischer, Gary Kasparov and Magnums Carlsen are noticeable daily throughout the greater extent of Joubert Park, neighbouring the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Johannesburg’s inner city.
Kamo, 18, who lives in Braamfontein and makes his way to the park often, appeared camera shy as City Buzz zoned in on the apparent chess frenzy. The same, however, could not be said when we posed the question on what attracted him to chess in the first place?
“I like to believe it teaches certain aspects of life that you can apply such as you need not act without thinking regarding the consequences that one might encounter,” explained an excited-looking Kamo.
A game of chess in full swing
An equally enterprising 19-year-old enthusiast, Karabo, who’s been playing chess for the best part of three and a half years, was fit to the task of letting us in on his chess playing prowess. “I had a neighbour who played chess and did not do all this nasty stuff,” he said.
“I started playing chess when I got to high school and since then, went down to Bloemfontein for the School Individuals Chess Championships in 2014 and to Kimberly for the SA Junior Chess Championships in 2015, amongst others,” he concluded.