Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
WP clean up at junior chess champs
WESTERN Province proved to be chess aces, receiving top honours, at the South African Junior Chess Championships in Kimberley earlier this month.
They started the new year with a bang taking home gold from the tournament. They topped the under 8, under 10, under 12, under 14 and under 18 age groups.
The youngest little champ was seven-year-old Akshay Thakarsee, who won the under 8A section.
During the awards ceremony there were victory cries of “WP, jou lekker ding” as the junior Western Province team members took the stage for their accolades.
The team brought home nine golds, four silvers and two bronzes among other prizes.
The championship is a separate competition to schools chess and attracts children playing club chess across the country.
It was held earlier this month at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre in Kimberley, Northern Cape.
Weekend Argus Sister newspaper the Diamond Fields Advertiser reported that more than 2 000 visitors visited the city for the championships.
Development director of Chess South Africa Dina van der Walt said: “We have 1 955 players and around 400 officials. With the family members who have come through for support, this event has been wonderful for Kimberley and something that is a real honour for chess in the city.”
She said that the chess sets used during the competiton would be donated to schools in the Northern Cape, where teaches would be trained so that they could coach the sport.
Leila Benelli, a Western Province team manager, said there had been a long rivalry between WP and the Tshwane region.
“In the last three years Western Province has upped their game,” she said.
Benelli added: “Coaches in Western Province are passionate about chess.
“We have a lot of clubs. We had our eyes on gold.”
Benelli explained that children have to play many tournaments to qualify to play provincial league chess. Much of this happens during the holidays and over weekends.
Many of the young players boarded buses to make the trip.
“The awards were so exciting. People already knew the results. We chanted ‘WP, jou lekker ding!’ We were the biggest group of winners.”