National honours for seven young local chess stars

SEVEN young chess players from the Western Cape were honoured with National Youth Chess Awards at the first Chess South Africa Youth Awards, which were held in Benoni, Gauteng.

The prestigious national junior event has been running for more than 15 years now, and was described as the most anticipated junior event of the year for Chess SA.

This year at least 300 chess players from different provinces participated, and was the only tournament that qualified the young chess players for their junior national colours.

Keegan Agulhas ,16, the current African Chess Champion, who was among the seven, said he was proud of his achievements.

“Setting goals for myself gave me the right frame of mind when playing against my competitors. I am really proud of myself cause I not only represented my province, but everyone who plays a role in my life.”

Chess SA president Eldo Smart paid tribute to the future senior stars who have gained their national colours.

“We are very impressed with the progress of the young chess players over the past year. The standard continues to improve year on year,” he said. “We congratulate all the award winners and commend them on their achievements.”