LIMPOPO – Two Hoedspruit learners excelled during Chess South Africa’s Mzanzi inter-provincial chess championship hosted at The Ranch Resort in Polokwane in December last year.

Martin Severin won top place in the individual u/20 category, while Eric Williams was placed 14th. Martin got six points with TB1 at 0, TB2 at 28.5 and TB3 at 23.00, while Eric got 3.5 points.

Martin’s father, Rob, said that chess is growing which is surprising considering all the distractions of social media.

“But what’s great is that children are able to access it very easily and are playing better chess than their parents. Chess apps and online tournaments are easily accessible from a cell phone. There are rating systems which keep children engaged and improving. The barriers to entry are lower than other sports and children from disadvantaged backgrounds are showing surprisingly good skills. I’m proud of Martin for the seriousness he puts into this and his dedication to going to tournaments.

“A special thank you to Southern Cross Schools for including chess as part of their cultural activities and to Francois Coetzee for supporting the children and taking them on regular trips to play in the school tournaments,” he told the Herald.