Players make all the right moves at Hoërskool Bergvlam’s chess tournament

Hoërskool Bergvlam hosted a chess tournament at the school on Saturday from 08:00 to 18:00, sanctioned by the Ehlanzeni Chess Federation.

The categories ranged from as young as u/10 through u/12, u/14, u/20 and on to the senior category. For the layman, the terminology alone can be a tad confusing, but the young players took to the task with enthusiasm.

The players were deep in thought, carefully calculating which moves would grant them victory over their equally astute opponents. Siyamthanda Dlakude racked up five points to take first place in the u/10 category.

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He was followed by Roan Lombard with a single point separating the two. In third place, Michail Smit collected
three and a half points. The best girl in this division was Badanile Mkhatshwa, with two points.

In the u/12 division, Jeremy Ogunjiofor scooped the top spot with five points, followed by Lihle Shongwe and Banele
Mokoena in second and third place. They racked up four points apiece. Verna Zulu was the best girl, with three and a half points.

Onyinye Ogunjiofor collected four points in the u/14 division, followed by Nathan Cooper and Olwethu Dube, who each had four points. The best girl was Mieke Pauer, also with an impressive four points.

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In the u/20 category, Asinobi Agunjiofor, Marcel Barnard and Michiel Eksteen vied for the top spot. The three were tough contenders, judging by the final scores.

Agunjiofor topped the group with five points, with a slender half-point separating him and the second-placed Barnard. Eksteen took third place with four points. With two points, Anja van der Merwe was named the best u/20 girl.

The senior category proved to be a battle of the wills between Banele Mhango, Sydwell Maluka and Muzi Nkambule.
Mhango topped the group with a slender one-point advantage and amassed four and a half points, followed by Maluka on three and a half and Nkambule in third place.

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Arjun Sopanam’s noteworthy performance earned him a nod as the best junior after collecting three points in the division.

The Ehlanzeni Executive Chess Federation president, Phumi Maluleke, issued a statement confirming that all tournaments would be rescheduled until further notice in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

An excerpt from the statement reads: “We, together with schools and clubs, will decide on a rescheduled date in a few months’ time once we have more clarity on the extent of the pandemic in South Africa.

“This is the most responsible decision in the interest of our players’ health.”