Beukes’ best African run ends just off podium

Namibia’s International Master (IM) Dante Beukes was denied a podium finish at the African Individual Chess Championships in Botswana last weekend, but still marked his career-best finish at the continental showpiece.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most important chess championships, the nine-round Swiss tournament at Cresta Hotel in Jwaneng brought together more than 100 of the continent’s best players across the open and women’s sections.

This year’s edition saw Namibia field five players, including Beukes, Fide Master (FM) Heskiel Ndahangwapo, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Jamie-Nicole Beukes, WCM Jolly-Joice Nepando and Bernhard Schwarz.

When Beukes last competed at the event in 2022, he finished seventh. His return this year saw a more mature contender, as he finished fourth with 6.5 points from nine rounds, producing a 2380 performance rating to gain 22.60 rating points.

His only losses came against elite opposition, as he fell to eventual champion and Grandmaster (GM) Bilel Bellahcene of Algeria in the fourth round, before losing to South African GM Kenneth Terence Solomon in the sixth round.

He also drew against Zimbabwe’s FM Roy Mwadzura in the third round. Apart from that, Namibia’s reigning and four-time national champion proved to be a difficult customer over the board.

Then rated 2 288, Beukes signed off strongly in the final round, toppling Egypt’s IM David George Samir, rated 2 380, to force himself into the podium conversation.

His other victories at the event came against Thuto Mpene of Botswana, Michael Kaoma of Zambia, Jadon Simiyu of Kenya, Gaasite Sebetlela of Botswana and Kelvin Chumfwa of Zambia.

Edged out for bronze

Beukes’ 6.5/9 result was matched by two other players, including FM Banele Mhango of South Africa and IM Mariano Ortega Amarelle of Cape Verde, forcing the decisive average-opponent-rating tiebreak.

The countback placed Mhango ahead with an average opponent rating (ARO) of 2 290, earning him the bronze medal, while Beukes’ ARO of 2 240 placed him fourth. Ortega finished fifth with an ARO of 2 186.

Namibia’s youngest recorded national champion, after winning the title as a 14-year-old in 2017, took the result on the chin, saying he was proud of his performance.

“It definitely ranks up there as one of the best achievements in my career so far. It also continues a year-long trend of consistency in my play, which I am very proud of,” he said.

“With this performance, I cross the 2300 rating, a barrier which has eluded me several times.”

He said the performance showed that he was close to his peak, but believes he can still push those boundaries if he keeps working, with plans to compete more regularly at the continental showpiece.

“Naturally, it would have been nice to have gotten a medal along with this performance, but I will come back stronger next year,” he assured.

Strong opposition field

Beukes described the tournament as a very strong field, which included three GMs, two of whom he faced, as well as several IMs like himself.

“The schedule also added to the level of difficulty, [as we were required to play two rounds in a day at some point]. They were the toughest and forced us to dig deep and push through,” he said.

He further admitted it was the toughest physical tournament he has played in a long time, but said the organisation was up to standard, creating a conducive environment for him to play at his best.

Namibia’s sole International Master will now return to training and coaching until September, when he is expected to travel with the national team to the 46th Fide Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15 to 28 September.

The rest of the Namibian contingent also produced notable performances, with three-time consecutive national champion Ndahangwapo, who won the title from 2023 to 2025, finishing 19th on 5/9 to gain 33 rating points. Schwarz finished 53rd with 3/9.

Beukes’ younger sister Jamie-Nicole finished 35th on 3.5/9 in the women’s section, gaining 29.20 rating points, while Nepando finished 39th on 3/9.

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