DURBAN – Namibia recently sent a team of 17 junior chess players to Durban to participate in the Word Youth Chess Championships that saw all the Namibians compete in the six separate age groups for boys and girls.
The well-attended youth tourney attracted over 950 chess players from 88 countries from all 6 continents – leaving the young Namibians with a mammoth task to accumulate any silverware.
However, Namibia Chess Federation (NCF) Vice-President Melitta Kgobetsi-Mathe, who accompanied the juniors to South Africa, said the kids gained immense exposure and experience from the tournament, adding that any medal would have been a mere bonus.
A mother of one of the junior chess players in the team, Kgobetsi-Mathe pointed out that this is the only way future Namibian chess players can grow to the same calibre as their international opponents.
“Namibia has for long remained below average in the sporting arena and it is about time our kids grow into a culture of competing at international standard where they will be able to play and win against countries with rich sporting traditions.”
Namibia was represented by Mika Oberholzer, Galeshewe Jane and Lure Horn in the u/8 age group, Jane Ditshaba, Joshua Oberholzer and Kisha van Wyk (u/10), Dante Beukes, Kevin Gurirab, Aldo Horn (u/12), Hiren Naidoo, Anthony van der Meera and Elvira Tibinyane (u/14), Tibor Trepper, David Wilbard and Lida-Marie Calitz (u/16) and Montgomery Gurirab and Mamiki Hangero (u/18).
All the top junior chess players were selected from different towns of Namibia and qualified to represent the country at the global event during a closed tournament held in Windhoek in July this year. FIDE trainer Goodwill Khoa and parents accompanied the team to Durban.