Namibia to host African Schools Champs for first time

Namibia has earned hosting rights from the African Chess Confederation (ACC) to stage the African Schools Individual Chess Championships this December, marking the first time the country will host the continental showpiece.

This was confirmed by the Namibia Chess Federation (NCF) earlier this month. The NCF welcomed the hosting rights and described the development as “a source of immense pride and joy”.

The event had initially been linked with Malawi and Botswana as potential hosts.

In a statement issued by NCF president and Candidate Master (CM) Charles Eichab, he extended gratitude to the ACC for entrusting the federation with the prestigious event.

“We also count on all ACC member nations for their support and confidence in our ability to organise a championship that reflects the spirit, excellence and unity of African chess,” said CM Eichab.

The event is expected to bring together young chess talent from across the continent to battle for top honours in the Land of the Brave.

“They will compete, learn and build lasting friendships through the royal game. The NCF is fully committed to delivering a well-organised, safe and memorable championship,” he said.

Preparations gathering pace

Eichab added that the federation will soon appoint a local organising committee to spearhead preparations for the showpiece.

“We’re actively drawing from the expertise and support within the local chess family and beyond to ensure world-class facilities, fair play and a warm Namibian welcome to all participants and officials.”

Details regarding the full tournament regulations, including official invitation letters and entry forms, accommodation and transport arrangements, the tournament schedule, technical regulations, visa support and travel assistance for participants, will be communicated in due course.

“We invite all member federations, local schools, academies and clubs to begin preparing their juniors for this historic gathering. Let us come together to celebrate African youth, strategic brilliance and continental unity through chess.”

NCF secretary-general Israel Shilongo confirmed to this publication that the hosting rights were granted following the federation’s appeal to the ACC.

“We requested to host because, as a federation, we want all the chess players who qualified [through the National Schools Individual Chess Championships in March] to represent the country without any financial burden,” said Shilongo.

Top performers to compete

Namibia is set to field its top five performers at the continental event across the boys’ and girls’ U7 to U19 age categories.

Shilongo also called on the government to join the International Chess Federation (Fide) and ACC in assisting where possible to make the event a success.

Namibia is no stranger to hosting continental chess events, having hosted the African Individual Chess Championships in 2014, the African Amateur Chess Championships in 2018 and the African Youth Chess Championships.

When Namibia hosted the African Youth Chess Championships in Windhoek in 2019, Fide Master (FM) Dante Beukes won gold in the U18 Open section. Beukes has since become the country’s first International Master.

At last year’s African Schools Individual Chess Championships in Kenya, Windhoek Afrikaans Private School’s Frederick Cronjé stormed to gold in the U9 Open section.

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