Chess gurus to take on best players in the Bay
Week-long challenge will include prizes
THE Boardwalk will play host to the prestigious Boardwalk Pearson Open Chess Tournament next week, as it welcomes some of the world’s top chess players who are set to take on the best the Bay has to offer. The week-long tournament is hosted by the Boardwalk, in collaboration with Pearson High School, and will see top and emerging chess players pit their skills against each other in the tournament, which is accredited and recognised by the World Chess Federation (Federation Internationale des Echecs or Fide).
The tournament will be split across four categories, including the IM (international master) norm field – which is by invitation only, and features top players from India, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe – and takes place from March 12 to 18.
The A and B sections – rated by Fide and Chess South Africa (Chessa) – will play from March 16 to 18 and the junior development section will be held on March 17.
The A section is open to chess players with a Fide or Chessa rating of 1 600 or higher. The B section is open to players with a Chessa rating of 1 600 or lower.
The one-day junior development competition is open to all young chess players under the age of 12.
The Boardwalk general manager Mike van Vuuren said: “The Boardwalk is honoured to work in partnership with Pearson High School to bring this tournament to fruition.
“We believe it is fitting to provide our local chess players with the chance to compete on home soil against players from across the country to improve their ratings with Fide and Chessa.
“The Eastern Cape is home to many chess enthusiasts, many of whom have represented South Africa internationally.
“Seeing the players, especially the youth, coming through the ranks and become recognised is heartening and we look forward to seeing them all in action at the tournament.”
Pearson High School chess coordinator Japie Hugo said: “The school has never really been known as a chess-playing school.
The Boardwalk is honoured to work in partnership with Pearson
“However, over the last two or three years, a lot more emphasis has been placed on the sport.
“We had smaller local tournaments in the past to ignite passion for the sport and realign the perception that Pearson doesn’t play chess. This year we opted to go even bigger and approached The Boardwalk, who were happy to help.
“We have also confirmed attendance of 10 internal masters to compete and inspire the kids and illustrate how far they could go with the sport. Next year, we hope to go even bigger and get some grand masters in attendance,” Hugo said.
The Boardwalk has long been a proud supporter of local chess and chess development. It has been in partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay Chess Union since 2011 and has played host to the Commonwealth Chess Championship, the African Youth Chess Championship, the Eastern Cape Close Chess Tournament and the African Youth Chess Championships.
NMB Chess Union president Ridwaan Lagardien said: “Chess in the Bay has a rich history. Some of our top players like the Saffier family, Ewan and Alexander Kromhout, Freddie Odendaal and Jesse February have left their mark. They have now become coaches and are paying it forward.
“It is the objective of the Nelson Mandela Bay Chess Union to contribute positively to the upliftment and the continuous development of chess in the rural and disadvantaged segments of the Bay.”
The stakes are high in this competition, with the A section winner taking home a R3 000 prize, R2 000 for the runner-up and R1 500 for third place. The best junior (under 18) will receive a prize of R500. The entry fee is R250 per player. The winner of the B section will take home R1 000. The entry fee per player is R200.
In the one-day junior development competition there will be medals for winners and entry is R50 per player.
Online entries are open at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf T4qtE QMCohrSeebAGVWgKZmT546hS3EZuqfjOF4md0FFwFg /viewform and for more information, e-mail: boardwalkpearsonchess18@gmail.com
The tournament starts daily at 8.30am from March 12 to 18 at the Boardwalk International Convention Centre. All are invited to come watch the players battle it out.