League proving to be a huge success
THERE were tense glares as players peered at their cards and then at their opponents, during a heated battle of skill and luck, at a newly-launched thunee league, at Durban’s popular Florida Road. The league, which started last month and runs every Thursday evening at Kaskade Bar and Restaurant Lounge, will see the ultimate player walk off with a cash prize of R5 000 and the runner-up R2 000. “The players will compete over three months and, in May, we will have our first thunee league champion,” said the establishment’s co-owner Preggy Moodley. The 61-year-old said the idea to start a league stemmed from his love affair with the card game, which originated in Durban and was popular among Indian South Africans. “My grandfather and father taught me to play thunee when I was just 12 and, no matter whose house we visited in the family, a pack of cards was always around.” Moodley, of Musgrave, says while studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Durban-Westville (now UKZN) between 1976 and 1980, he remembers sitting in the cafeteria with his friends, each engrossed in the game. “We used to lose track of the time and were often late for our lectures,” said Moodley, as he recalled his college years. “Nothing brings people together the way cards do, and the thinking behind this league was to bring people together to relax and make friends through a game of cards.” Team-mates Sahil Singh, 53, and Poovi Pillay, 40, are currently on top of the log, and are the only undefeated team in the competition. Singh, of Clare Estate, who owns a logistics business and is the designated team captain, said he enjoyed unwinding and networking over his favourite game. He believed he and Pillay could “go all the way” to win. “But at the same time, we know the cards determine the winner most of the time.” Said Singh: “Thunee is a game just like any other and we are confident we can go all the way. However, because it is played with a deck of cards, it consists of 30% luck and 70% skill.” He added that they were “clean players,” explaining: “When you are undefeated in a game of cards, people often think you cheat. We don’t have signals but play to the best of our ability with the cards we have in hand. We follow the rules.” Jeanny Chainee, 54, an accountant, of Glenwood, is one of only two females in the league and said she loved breaking stereotypes. “People think thunee is a game that only men play, so I’m glad I’m here to break the norm. I don’t feel intimidated by the men. They treat me as an equal and I love this about being part of this league.” She said she learnt to play from a classmate. Felix Naicker, a reserve in the league and a co-owner, believes “thunee is a way of life to the Indian community”. “It is like a religion to us as Indians. If it is not played at every prayer, every night before and every general family gathering, it will be considered as us doing something wrong.” The league comprises 18 teams, and is played with four players at a time, two on each team (four-hand thunee). Each team plays one opponent per night, on a best out of 5 basis.