The tournament saw pupils from various schools around Johannesburg playing against ten chess grandmasters from Germany, France and South Africa.
The competition was the culmination of four days of workshops between the chess grandmasters and chess coaches from the various schools, including St Peter’s Preparatory School.
On the day of the tournament the excited pupils braced themselves behind rows of chess boards.
There were 18 pupils to a row and each grandmaster played against a row – that is one grandmaster to 18 children.
Within minutes the first few pupils were knocked out, but the grandmasters re-iterated that they should not feel discouraged as it was sheer hard work and determination that got them to their own impressive positions.
Out of 150 pupils playing on the day it was only Grade 5 St Peter’s Preparatory School pupil Jason Webber who managed to beat one of the grandmasters.
The German Chess Federation regularly works with schools in South Africa to develop an appreciation for chess.
Their long-term goal is to get every child in Africa to play chess.
