Making the right moves for a better society
THE atmosphere was filled with intense focus and silence at the Rylands Public Library where young and old gathered for the Chess 2019 Summer Slam tournament.
Chairperson of the Friends of the Rylands Library, Hakeem Syed, explained that the tournament, now in its fourth year, hosted two tournaments annually, one in winter and one in summer. The tournament started with just 35 participants and now there are more than 100 at this year’s summer slam.
Syed said participants had come from different areas such as Sea Point, Bredasdorp, Simon’s Town, Langa, Crossroads, Bonteheuwel, Athlone, Claremont and Mitchells Plain.
“That is one of our main ideas, of bringing people together from different walks of life, from different places, so that they can hang out under one roof, learn to understand one another, learn to play well and live well and harmoniously,” said Syed.
Different categories ranging from beginner, intermediate and advanced accommodated the various ages and levels of experience.
“This is called a rapid tournament.
“Each one gets 15 minutes of time to play. To bring about community integration… this is the primary aim. The people who would normally not mix from different socio-economic backgrounds, race, cultures, they all come together.
“That’s one thing. To keep the people off the streets and keep them focused, this is a game that requires lots of thinking and focusing your mind, strategising to help them in their real-life planning,” he said.
Vice president of Chess SA and participant Dr Omar Esau said :“In the long run it’s all about chess and social impact on the society.”