BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Checkmate!
Members of the public especially the youth of Hlathikhulu are smiling from ear to ear after the launch of Powerhouse Chess Club.
Chess is a board game between two players. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to distinguish it from related games; the current form of the game emerged in Spain and the rest of Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century.
Power House Chess Club is an initiative to empower the young, youth, old, even persons with disabilities using chess as an empowerment tool.
According to the head coach Simphiwe Dlamini, these people come together to learn, play and enjoy chess as a sport, they also sharpen their minds through the sport. It is also an initiative to search, discover and groom young talented individuals in the field of chess that need nurturing which one day may represent the country in the International Chess Olympiads and other world class events.
“This past Saturday the club held a launching tournament at the Hlatikhulu sports centre which is where we have our training sessions, every Saturday from 11am to 2pm. The sports centre hall was given to the club official to use by Sports and Recreational council. The purpose of this tournament was to introduce the club and chess as a sport to the community and also bring chess players from all over the country as they gathered to compete in a prize funded rapid tournament,” he said.
In addition Dlamini said the launching of the tournament was a success, with about 50 people attending; 36 players (28 in the open section and 8 in the junior under 14 sections) and the rest were supporters who had come to witness history being made, i.e., the very first chess tournament to be held in Hlatikhulu.
“The event was blessed by the presence of The Eswatini Chess Federation President, who also officiated the tournament and club. It was sponsored by Montigny Investments, Hlatikhulu Town Board and a third sponsor who wished to remain private.
“We would also like to thank and acknowledge the enormous assistance we received from Eswatini Chess Federation for provision of chess resources/equipment and tournament management. Hlatikhulu Central High School Administration for providing and trusting the club with furniture at a short notice and inconvenient time, +268 Chess Club (Matsapha) for the provision of still bottled water and support,” he said in addition.
The club has merchandise which includes T-shirts and caps with the club logo, these items are sold at E200. These items are sold with the aim to raise funds for the club for future projects and activities. Worth noting is that the club has been blessed with growth as it only started with less than 10 members and now, the club members are 20.
Courtesy pics of Powerhouse Chess Club.
