Old and young flock to Penryn’s first chess tournament

The first chess tournament hosted by Penryn College was deemed a huge success on Saturday. A total of 167 players of all ages participated, testing their mental mettle and skill against one another.

The youngest player on the day was only six years old, and the oldest 47 years. Karen Taljaard, secretary of the Enhlanzeni Chess Federation which oversaw the tournament, said the school’s work and effort made it the success it was.

“It is amazing to watch the concentration on the faces of each player, seeing how they are calculating their next move and anticipating what their opponent will do next,” she said.

Among the senior players Mthobisi Malaluka (26) came out tops in concentration and strategy. He did not lose a single match, taking top honours on the day. David Khoza (26) and Marco Craig (37) took second and third places in the senior category.

The u/18 men saw Alexander Maartens (16) win, followed by Justice Masinge (16) and Daniel Ukpe (16) who took home third prize. Among the u/18 women, Teresa Camara (15) and Jaelene Lyman (13) proved themselves the best at thwarting their opponents’ tactics, winning first and second prize in the category, respectively.

Competition was tight among the u/16 boys, with little between the top-three finishers on the day. Christian Barnard (13) ultimately finished in first place, followed by André de Kock (14) and George Visser (15). Emmerentia Booysen (13) was awarded first prize in the category for girls u/16, with Alyssa Chetty (15) and Jessica Muller (13) coming in second and third.

Michiel Eksteen (11) took top honours among the u/14 boys. Neither he nor second- and third-prize winners Pierre Janse van Rensburg (13) and Kanya Manana (12) lost any matches on the day.

Alicia Roussouw (12) was the top player among the u/14 girls, with Ayanda Mnisi (12) following in second place and Leanne Smit (12) taking home third prize.

Joshua van Heerden (9) topped the log among the u/12 players, winning all his matches to take first place. Nelius Olivier (10) took second place, and Hano Smith (10) third.

Danté van Heerden (9) was unbeaten on the day, taking first place among the girls u/12. Dimpho Dibakoane (9) and Natasha Nyambi (9) came in second and third in their age groups.

Among the u/10 boys the first places went to Dian van Aarde (7) who did not lose a match on his way to the first prize. Arjun Prabha (7) was placed overall second and Michael van Heerden (8) walked off with the third prize. Kayla Smith (7) came out tops among the u/10 girls.

The next chess tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Curro Nelspruit on May 7.

• Read more about chess: These local players the cream of the chess crop