King David Primary School learner ranks 20th in the country for chess

At the tender age of 12, Caleb Levitan, a learner from King David Primary Sandton, has achieved what many adults could only dream of – to make it to the top 20 ranking for chess in the whole country.

Ever since the day his father introduced him and his brother to chess, the chess prodigy has been driven to reach the title of grandmaster. Caleb was recently awarded with his first chess title, candidate master, by the International Chess Federation this year.

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The young, talented individual, who is now ranked in 18th place in the whole of country, explained why he loves the sport so much, “I am fascinated that there is essentially an infinite number of ways of moving the pieces over only 64 squares. To help me prepare for each competition I challenge myself with daily puzzles, online chess games and I always learn from my mistakes.”

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When discussing various challenges that he experienced as both a chess player and a learner, Caleb shared his view. “It is tough to be a kid at a regular school when most competitive chess players of my age are enrolled in full-time chess academies or homeschooled where they are able to spend most of their days on perfecting their game. Most of the chess competitions take place during the South African term time which means that I often need to catch up on my school work.”

Caleb did not shy away from revealing his secrets of being the best at what he does followed by his ultimate goal in life. “In every game, I try to and apply these principles: Play the board not the opponent; If I find a good move, look for an even better move and lastly, never give up. My current goal is to achieve the title of grandmaster in chess on an international platform.”

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