The Western Cape Inter-regional Chess Championship recently took place on the Garden Route and the West Coast team held their own.
The championship was held from 17 to 19 March at the Garden Route Casino Hotel at Mossel Bay. At this select event, the West Coast Chess players got themselves into the history books of chess by stellar performances of players in the Blitz event as well as the junior girls and boys who proved their mettle in the classical format.
The inter-regionals is an event that is comprised of four sections – senior men, senior women, junior boys and junior girls.
Players entered from each region are the top players selected from each region.
As West Coast entered the playing arena it was clearly noticeable that they had some of the lowest ratings among the regions.
The championship started on Friday evening with a blitz tournament. Players are limited to 3 minutes plus 2 seconds added to the clock for every move made. In other words, think fast, play fast. It was a five round Blitz Swiss tournament, meaning that players on the same point total after each round play one another.
Out of 82 participants, the locals managed to share joint 11th place by Liyabona Njokweni 3,5/5 and joint 19th place by team captain Basil Ellman on 3/5. Also sharing the 19th spot was Legene Maletta, Arthur Resandt, Jamie Lee Mitchells and Shakier Kariem.
On day two the teams played in the classical chess format, which is 60 min plus 30 sec added to the clock for every move played.
Senior woman Maletta went on to win a gold medal as a board prize. The West Coast’s senior women’s team missed the bronze medal by a slim margin. The junior girls Mea van Zyl, Anne Belle Ellman, Rozanne Galant and Jaydean Farmer, and boys Liyabona Njokweni, Shakier Kariem, Shaunre Lewaks, Liam Schroeder and Yul Siebritz, did the region proud by winning silver medals as the top players in the province.
According to Basil Ellman, from West Coast Chess Union, the best way for locals to improve their rating is to play more rated games, specifically Fide rated games if the region is to produce titled players.
“However, because West Coast comprise five municipal areas Saldanha, Bergrivier, Swartland, Cederberg and Matzikama, we need sponsors to come on board in order to achieve the latter. On that note I would like to thank our sponsors – Western Cape Chess, AR Jones, Snyer Bussiness Logistic – that have contributed to the success of the Inter-regional event. West Coast Chess union exco and players pray for God’s richest blessing on our sponsors and their businesses,” he says. Contact Aser Boois (treasurer) on 073 488 4834 or Laurenzo Fortuin (president) on 076 021 3672 for more information on WC Chess.
