Draughts whizz aims for world title
PE trio claim three of top five spots at world qualifier in US
SOUTH African and Eastern Cape draughts aficionado Lubabalo Kondlo will put his board skills to the test against world champion draughtsman Michele Borghetti next year. Kondlo, along with fellow Port Elizabethans Melikaya Nonyukela and Mzilabawo Luntonti, did the nation proud as they claimed three of the top five spots at the July 31-August 4 qualifier in Mississippi.
Kondlo, 46, a grandmaster of the sport, tied for the top spot with American grandmaster Alex Moiseyev and former Eastern Cape champion Nonyukela, who all ended on 20 points after eight rounds of play.
Luntonti finished in joint second place, level on points with four other players.
All three men achieved their places in the world qualifier tournament after achieving excellent results at an Eastern Cape trial tournament in December last year.
Speaking from Buster’s Club House in New Brighton yesterday, Kondlo said he believed he had what it took to beat the current world champ.
Kondlo previously won two other world qualifying tournaments in 2007 and 2014, losing out to Barbadian Ron King in the “go as you please” discipline in 2008 and Italian Borghetti in 2015 in the three-move discipline.
“I think I can beat him next year. Actually I have to, for the sake of the sport in South Africa,” he said.
“It needs as much exposure as possible in order to grow in the province and in the country.”
Kondlo started playing when he was seven years old and recalled fondly how he would go to a local club to watch the players do battle.
“I was not at the same level as guys of those days, but I loved watching them play and picking up tips along the way,” he said.
Despite being unemployed, Kondlo did not let his lack of funding get in the way of his dream of playing on the world stage and has funded all his trips without any governmental assistance.
Having purchased a few sets of draughts on his travels in the US, Kondlo plans to distribute them to a few schools to grow the popularity of the sport.
“The sport is slowly becoming very popular among the younger generation, but it needs funding in order to work.”
Kondlo has also featured on e.tv’s television show South African Heroes for his work in the development of the sport in his community.
He hopes to set up a national body for the sport, saying it would only need four provincial draughts associations to set it up.
“There have also been talks about board games being made an Olympic sport, and I am sure this sport will bring South Africa a few more gold medals,” he said.
Nelson Mandela Bay champion and former Eastern Cape champion Luntonti said it was a valuable learning experience for him. “It was tough, but this has given me confidence to work hard so [Nonyukela] and I can compete at other international tournaments in the future,” he said.
Nonyukela said his next goal was to achieve the grandmaster status, which required him to compete at three consecutive tournaments sanctioned by the World Checkers Draughts Federation.
Lifelong friend and coach Jimmy Mqotso said Kondlo had certainly done his home town, province and country very proud. “I watched him growing up, and I could see he had the talent.”
I think I can beat him . . . Actually, I have to for the sake of the sport in South Africa