Cape Town – To give children from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to once again play and develop in the game of chess, the Western Cape Chess Association (WCCA) is going online this Mandela Day.
The WCCA Mandela Day Chess Festival, on July 18, is expected to be one of the strongest online tournaments in the country, aiming to raise money to give children access to chess coaching.
The association has also asked that people donate their old smartphones for the children to use.
Association president Andre Lewaks said that for many of the children, their coaches were their only father figures. As a result of the lockdown, some coaches had not been able to mentor the young minds.
“One of the strategies that we have adopted to promote the safety of our players is to promote online chess playing and coaching as a method to ensure that our players stay active.
"We acknowledge that going online might exclude thousands of players, especially kids, who do not have the means to play online.
“The coaches in various regions have identified the children who need the technology to be able to play. The coaches also provide emotional support to the children,” Lewaks said.
Players of all ages and abilities may enter - from under 8s to Prestige players - and compete for the prize money that will be on offer.
Online registration is available at https://tinyurl.com/yaa8r7s6 or see Chess Western Province on Facebook.
Banking details for entries and donations: Western Cape Chess Association, Nedbank, cheque account, account number 1068091940, Branch code: 198765.