Primary school brought their A game to chess tournament

Sediba sa Thuto Primary School in the far east of Mamelodi were crowned the winners of the annual Chess for Peace tournament over the weekend.

Four schools in Mamelodi participated in the second chess tournament that was held at the Stanza Bopape Library and Information Technology Centre on Saturday.

One of the organisers, Ashley Mapokgole, said all the schools performed very well, but Sediba sa Thuto Primary School showed exceptional quality of play and commitment to the game.

The other three schools that participated in the tournament were Tshegofatsong Special School, DR Monare and Morakoma primary schools.

Makgopole said that the tournament is part of the Chess for Peace programme, which seeks to promote strategic planning, thinking, patience, discipline, and self-confidence among primary school learners in Mamelodi and Eersterust.

He said this initiative is made possible by the Centre for World Peace, which seeks to promote global peace through art, games, sports, skills development, and training programmes. It is done in partnership with the Gift of Chess, an American organisation that donates chess sets to support the programme.

“The learners were encouraged to participate in the games, and pleaded with parents to support [other] children who show interest in the game,” said Mapokgole.

“Chess is an educational tool and can help improve learning beyond the classroom,” he concluded.

Ephraim Selepe, coach at Sediba sa Thuto Primary School, said, “We are proud of our learners for their performance and encourage those who did not win to practice more.”

He said he has been working with the school chess team for two years, and the children brought their A game to the tournament.

The arbiter of the tournament, Khothatso Makoro, encouraged the learners to keep playing for better results.

Makoro said ‘everyone is a winner’, as he handed out medals to all players and their coaches.

Mapokgole also said that the tournament was a success, and it was all smiles for the children who participated in the tournament, and also for the parents who came to support the event.

He concluded by thanking all the sponsors and partners for their support, and appealed to more businesses to come on board and help grow the sport of chess.

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