Meet Kempton Park’s chess champion
“I started playing professional chess when I was doing matric at Hoërskool Birchleigh in 2016."
Birch Acres resident, Botlhale Phurulla Modisaotsile (25) has a deep passion for the game of chess.
ALSO READ: Teach your child to play chess with these easy moves
He started playing chess when he was in Grade Five and began participating professionally in high school, he said he has never looked back.
Botlhale has a South African chess rating of 1400.
“Izette du Pisanie introduced me to chess at Laerskool Mooifontein Primary School.
“My Chess South Africa rating is an intermediate rating, but I have beaten higher-rated opponents ranging from 1600 to 1700,” said Botlhale.
Aside from playing chess, Botlhale holds two degrees from Rhodes University.
“I started playing professional chess when I was doing matric at Hoërskool Birchleigh in 2016.
ALSO READ: Maranatha Christian School learners participated in Ekurhuleni Blitz Chess Tournament
“My first professional tournament was the Gauteng North Open in Tshwane, in October.
“I lost all my games in that tournament, but my chess grew when Tshwane Chess selected me to play for their U20C team at the South African Junior Chess Championships (SAJCC) after my final exams,” he said.
Bothlale’s tournament highlights include playing in the the 2017 U20 South African Wildcards played at the Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg in January 2018 and the Legends Chess Club Open played at Advance for Life Christian Academy, East London in June 2022.
Another highlight for Botlhale was participating as part of the Eastern Cape students team in the chess league played in Eastern Cape on September 2022.
ALSO READ: Grandmaster opens SA chess championships in Boksburg
“The 2017 U20 South African Wildcards (part of the SAJCC) was a special one for me because I was the lowest-rated player in the group with a rating of 959 at the time.
“Irrespective of the rating, I finished in the second place with a score of 4.5 points out of 7 when I won three games, drew three and only lost one.
“My rating increased from 959 to 1172.
“I only lost to Namibian chess player Dudley Noreseb, who finished in the first place, but it was amazing to be called the top South African in the group.”
The former president of Rhodes University SRC was also part of the varsity’s chess team which won over 30 medals at the Eastern Cape Students Team Chess league last year.
He is also the representative of Johannesburg Metro Chess Union, where he works as a team manager in the SAJCC.
ALSO READ: Tembisa learners show their talent at chess
He said players can enter various tournaments from chess unions in the province.
“A lot of chess unions in the country host tournaments which can be entered and chess players can win prize money and gain experience. The chess unions
in Gauteng are of Ekurhuleni Chess, Johannesburg Metro Chess, Sedibeng Chess and Tshwane Chess.
“I love chess because it tests your mental toughness and challenges you to overcome your opponent’s ideas. It also improves long-term memory and allows you to think critically on and off the board,” he said.
