Hilma Nalupe

When Heskiel Ndahangwapo first stumbled upon a chess pamphlet at the Oshana Library as a teenager, he never imagined the game would take him around the world. Today, the 25-year-old Namibian player and coach is one of the country’s most passionate ambassadors of the sport.

Born in Endola and raised in Oshakati from the age of seven, Ndahangwapo’s early years were defined by curiosity and learning. He attended Ongwediva Control Combined School and later Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School, where he not only excelled in academics but also started a chess club. The club became his training ground, a space to test new openings, share knowledge with peers, and learn from others.

His first encounter with chess was accidental. In grade 9, after watching two schoolmates play, he found a chess set and pamphlet donated by Bank Windhoek at the local library and that’s how he started.

With no money for club fees, a local coach stepped in and offered to mentor him regardless. That coach, Michael Dumbura, would become one of the most influential figures in his journey. For two years, Ndahangwapo lost game after game to Dumbura, sometimes up to ten times a day. But one afternoon in April 2017, sitting on the floor outside the library, he finally beat him. That single win, after countless defeats, taught him resilience and perseverance, lessons that still guide him.

By 2017, chess had become more than a hobby. It was an obsession. His performance at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022 convinced him to pursue the game professionally.

“I drew inspiration from Namibia Chess Master Otto Nakapunda. I always wanted to play like him. Watching him sacrifice his queen to win in eight moves left me in awe,” he says.

Ndahangwapo’s proudest moment came in Cairo at the 2023 Africa Individual Chess Championships. Playing against a higher-rated opponent in round five, he experienced a rare gesture in competitive chess. “It’s extremely rare for players to resign by taking your score sheet, signing it, shaking your hand, nodding, and leaving quietly,” he recalls with pride.

His toughest test arrived a year later at the 2024 World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where he held Namibia’s top board. Facing world-class competition, he finished with 5.5 points out of nine, a performance he now credits for teaching him more about his weaknesses and strengths.

Today, Ndahangwapo splits his time between competing and coaching. He works with over 100 young players across Namibia, nurturing the next generation of talent. Off the board, he enjoys basketball, hiking, reading, writing, and sightseeing. His family members, once sceptical of his dedication to chess, are now among his biggest supporters.

For him, the game is more than strategy. “It has taught me to own up to my decisions and to understand myself, my strengths, my weaknesses, and how to balance them,” he says.

Looking ahead, his ambitions are clear. To earn the Grandmaster title and continue coaching. He dreams of one day playing Uzbekistan’s Nodiberk Abdussattorov, one of the world’s youngest elite players. “Should I lose, I’ll count it as a win. I’ll learn more from such a game than many hours of study,” he says. -hilmanalupe@gmail.com