A CONTINGENT of 41 budding chess players left the country for the 2025 edition of the African Youth Chess Championships which kick off in South Africa tomorrow.
The African Youth Chess Championships are scheduled to run from June 15-23 at Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre in Benoni, Johannesburg.
Teams from across the African continent will compete in six different age groups, ranging from Under-8 to Under-18
The Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) organised a farewell ceremony for the team at the organisation’s Joina City offices.
“Zimbabwe has got a delegation of 41 players that will be taking part in this event. This is probably the biggest contingent we have sent to this tournament in recent years. This is largely because South Africa is close and we have managed to send all of our best talent to this event,” ZCF technical director Tapiwa Gora said.
“The future of chess in Zimbabwe is very bright. This is a new crop of players which we expect to take over from our current top players in the near future. This experience will help them to improve their game and push them to study more, play more and just explore and enjoy the game of chess.
“The team was selected through the national scholarship championships for the secondary schools and there was also the NAPH [National Association of Primary Heads] selection for primary schools.”
Zimbabwe has produced winners in this competition in Refiloe Hazel Mudodo, Tatenda Matemavi and Farai Hamandishe, to mention but three.
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The winners from each age group category in both the Open and Girls Sections will be awarded personal rights to participate in the 2025 World Youth Chess Championships and the 2025 World Cadets Chess Championships.
