By Staff Reporter
The Andrew Martin Annual Christmas Chess Tournament held at the Lalibela Recreation Centre in Seven Fountains recently was a dream come true, the organisers said.
They said working with the community of Seven Fountains had been a dream, and they thanked the individuals and organisations who made it a reality.
A total of 32 children from Makhanda schools such as Samuel Ntlebi, CM Vellem, Saint Mary’s, Ntaba Maria, Graeme College and the YISL Afterschool Program, participated in the tournament, along with their counterparts from Seven Fountains.
The tournament consisted of eight sections of four players who played each once over three rounds. The top two of each group progressed to a last 16 round after which the tournament went into a knockout phase.
Andrew Martin, who spearheaded the chess initiative, working hand-in-hand with Sithembele Xhegwana in this community project, was impressed with the overall standard of play.
“Most of the kids owe their skills to Makhanda’s coach Yves Sewelo’s tutelage. The foundations are definitely there. Abenathi’s chess game was very impressive since he only learned to play the game in a space of two months but managed to win against individuals who have been playing for more than a year.”
Before the start of play, Martin spoke about the ability of chess to bring people together, not just as competitors, but as friends. Martin, who has been playing competitive chess for 40 years, said that chess is not just about winning or losing. “If one embraces chess, it can enhance many other areas of one’s life.”
The organisers thanked the individuals and organisations who made the dream of working with the community of Seven Fountains a reality. These were Andrew Martin, Jimmy Emslie as well as the Lalibela and Pumba community foundations.
Here are the winners:
5th place: Kayone Lwana
4th place: Avuya Jongile
3rd place: Lutho Nesi
2nd place: Omolemo Sewelo
1st place: Abenathi Nteyi
Best girl: Oratile Sewelo
