Keetmanshoop
The Keetmanshoop Chess Club, in conjunction with the National Chess Federation, hosted its third Southern Chess Championship earlier this month.
The gathering attracted scores of participants who grilled each other, with players’ ages ranging from five up to 40 years old.
Chief sport officer in Karas and Hardap regions, Gabriel Freyer, opened the competition and encouraged and urged more women to become part of this wonderful sporting discipline, where only 12 women were present.
Icha Hukununa Anderson, the regional sport officer joined hands with Ricky Eiman, a local schoolteacher in Keetmanshoop, to initiate and organize the competition, which is now in its third year since its inception in 2014.
This year, the Namibian Chess Federation as a result of the huge number of participants from various towns in the region, as opposed to previous years, upped the status to that of a Grand Prix.
The federation has altogether five Grand Prix competitions where players obtain points, from 12 points for first, 10 for second, 8 for third place and so on. Participants are obliged to at least compete in four Grand Prix to be crowned champion.
Individual participants and scholars from various nearby towns led by Karasburg, Lüderitz and hosts Keetmanshoop took part in the competition while a few entrants from Windhoek-based clubs made their presence felt by adding extra flavour to the one-day gathering.
The following number of players took part in the competition in different categories:
Women: (13)
Men Junior: (26)
Men Senior: (33)
Open: (11)
Prize monies and trophies, proudly sponsored by the Namibian Chess Federation, were at stake. Event organizers are urging local businesses to follow suit by pumping in more finances for the staging of the annual event if the competition is to reach greater heights.