Zimpapers Logo

at the just-ended World Schools Chess Individual Championships in Krakow, Poland.
They finished 21st out of 36 teams.
Zimbabwe and Kenya were the only two African countries that took part in the event.
The championships began on April 29 and ended on May 9 with participants taking part in the Under-7, Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 age groups.
Zimbabwe sent seven players for the event who were all drawn from primary and secondary schools.
The team was made up of Moyo, Tinotenda Munhuuripi, Benjamin Kandindo, Takunda Mudzingwa, Tafadzwa Maraidze, Tanyaradzwa Muguwu and Gwezere who was the team captain.
The team came back via South Africa and arrived yesterday.
Moyo scored four points and finished on 21st position out of 65 participants in the Under-9 age group while Gwezere was 36th out of 80, with three points, in the Under-15 category.
Gwezere said the championships were a good learning curve although they could not bring home medals.
“The competition was tough and I feel great to have competed in such a big event. We did well as Zimbabwe because there were only two African countries.
“There were major differences between the competition and our local events.
“Some of us did not know how to operate the clocks that were being used there because we cannot afford them here as they are expensive and we do not have sponsors,” said Gwezere.
The 15-year-old from Goromonzi High said there was need to organise more tournaments and participate at international events to get exposure and experience.
Eight year-old Phumelelo shared the same views.
“It was great experience because I got a lot of exposure competing with younger players,” said Phumelelo.
Maguwu, who took part in the Under-13 girls category, was satisfied with her performance at the event.
“I really enjoyed the chess competition because I had exposure and I learnt a lot. I had two wins and one draw. I like the fact that we gave it all our best,” said Maguwu.
Team coach Joseph Moyo commended the junior players for a good show in Poland although they could not make it into the top three.
“The bulk of the players were making their first appearance at the championships.
“This was the second time for Zimbabwe to compete in this tournament and there was a big improvement in results because at this level African countries can come with zero or one point.
“For us to get players with four and three points was good,” said Moyo.
He however cited lack of support and competition at national level as the major setback for the development of the sport.
“We competed against countries such as Turkey and in terms of chess organisation they are far ahead. Russia are a powerhouse in chess.
“We learnt a lot from them. We really have to work hard to produce players and we need to properly identify and nurture talent,” said Moyo.
The trip was funded by the National Association of Primary Schools Heads in an effort to develop the sport from grassroots level.
Azerbaijan were crowned champions while Russia came second and Turkey settled for third place.