The Emalahleni Chess Academy recently hosted their third and final match of their inter-school chess tournament.

Following two successful matches held in March and April, on May 24 the young chess players were ushered into yet another exciting and educational session in which they competed against players from different schools.

According to Kagula Marabe, Chief Arbiter and organiser of the tournament, their main aim is to expand and grow chess in the city, and that can be done best by developing the sport even in young people as they are the future.

“We do host monthly tournaments for adults, but now we wanted to also add children so that it doesn’t just end with us,” he said.

The initiative caters for learners aged nine to 14, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic planning skills, but mostly, developing the sport among these young minds. They count it their major goal to involve all the schools in the city, creating a strong foundation for the sport.

“It’s unfortunate that other schools that we had invited didn’t manage to come due to lack of transport funds and we were also not able to source more sponsors for the transportation of our players,” Kagula said, assuring that for future tournaments they will work with all interested schools and find them transport assistance.

On June 16, the academy will host a prize-giving ceremony in which they will be issuing awards to acknowledge the children’s commitment and dedication to the sport.

“We urge individuals or organisations who may be interested in sponsoring this initiative to please come forward and help us shape the next generation of chess players and contribute to the growth of the sport in eMalahleni,” Kagula concluded.

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