By Fifi Rhodes
WINDHOEK
The final day in Windhoek saw thrilling chess, with a shock loss as the “swissperfect computer programme” appointed Werner Tjipueja as winner over national champion Charles Eichab.
The surprise happened during the memorial chess tournament in remembrance of the late Dr Kehat Beukes at hotel Thuringer Hof in Windhoek on the last day of 2007. More than 20 players took part in the two-day tournament.
Both Eichab and Tjipueja ended the tournament on a tie break but the computer showed otherwise just as everybody was about to shake off the year 2007’s dust from their feet.
The “shock” announcement stopped everybody in their tracks. The loss was traumatic as heads started shaking not to trust “machines” ever.
Following closely in third place was Zambian-born Ingwe Chipande with chess federation president Baron Nitzborn fourth, whom he normally gives a very hard time in general.
Best junior Goodwill Khoa kept his pawn till last to beat visiting German national Bernd Krueckeberg by a fraction of a point.
Toivo Nangula slowly went down to eighth place behind Unam student Allison Karuaera with four points at game end.
Angolan Claudio Adolfo was interesting in as much as the former, who had almost drawn all his games that far in the event, was determined to take at least some full point home before second best junior Julian Isaak made it all the way down to position ten.
The late Dr Beukes studied medicine at the University of Cape Town and was a specialised surgeon – the first black Namibian surgeon and a specialist in his home country.
As a born and bred Baster son of Rehoboth he developed an interest in chess while studying at high school at Harold Cressy in Cape Town.
Back home in 1992 he became seriously involved with the Namibian Chess Federation where he also served as president from1994 to 1999.
In 1997 Dr Beukes accompanied two junior chess players to the Junior Rapid Chess World Championships in Paris. He also took part when the Namibian chess team participated in the chess Olympiad in Elista, Kalmykia, (former USSR) in 1998.
He then accompanied the Namibian junior chess team to the first Southern Africa junior chess championships in South Africa.
He died on December 3 1999. As the doctor was head over heels in love with the coastal town of Swakopmund, he organised the annual Swakopmund open chess tournament during the holiday month of December, since 1994. Last year it was for the first time moved to Windhoek.