Game of kings: Help Elsies chess club represent at Western Cape Champs
FUNDING PLEA: Elsies River Chess Club coach Eugene Steenkamp
Players from the Elsies River Chess Club have been selected to participate in the Western Cape Club Championships, which will take place in George on October 20 to 22.
The club has up to 20 members, mostly juniors who took first place at the Western Cape Club Championships in 2021.
The group has excellent players who have competed across South Africa and even in other countries for competitions. However, the biggest challenge for them is funding.
Coach Eugene Steenkamp says 10 players have been selected to go to George for the provincial champs but they need as much as R12 000 to cover the expenses for the trip.
“The opportunities in chess helps the youngsters in school work, in terms of thinking creatively and doing problem solving, it is a disciplined sport,” he said.
“This is our way of giving back to the community and the pandemic [actually] helped a lot because the kids were indoors and chess is an indoor sport, but from there they have excelled.”
The club has quite a few accolades under their belt; one of its members, Tesihano Mnyasta, won the Commonwealth Chess Championships in 2019 in India as well as the African School Championship in 2021.
His cousin Charlton, 18, was recently selected to represent the nation at the African Youth Championships in Cairo, Egypt, which took place from September 1 to 9, but unfortunately could not participate due to a lack of funds.
Charlton won the Western Cape Closed Chess Championship in 2022, the George Open A-section, and the Cape Town Masters Challenge Open Section.
He has a FIDE rating of 2025 by only playing chess in the Western Cape, and Eugene says the teen has a bright future ahead.
If you are able to assist the players with donations or funding, call Eugene on 076 033 6966.