The FIDE in the Sparkling Waters chess tournament is a chess extravaganza by the Bojanala Chess Federation and is hosted at the Sparkling Waters Hotel and Spa in Rustenburg. The tournament has attracted chess players from the region and beyond with players flocking in from as far as Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi. Between the 28th and 30th of July 2023 we are sure to be entertained by one of the most exciting events on the South African chess calendar.

PRESTIGE

The Prestige section of the tournament kicked off with resounding action with the notale comeback to South Africa by Malawian chess prodigy Joseph Mwale. “The Fear” as he is known had a seemingly relatively easy task ahead of him when his much lower rated opponent, Khutso Maponya sat across from him at the board. Khutso posed a few problems to Joseph that “The Fear” parried as he staved off wave after wave of attack.
As the game wore on Joseph seemingly collapsed from exhaustion as he lay snoring at the board. Alas, he woke up in time to convert!

All the top seeded players won their games albeit with some surviving alarming positions. The fighting chess displayed shows that everyone came to play and there are no easy victories.
ROOKS
The Rooks section is the mid-tier section of the tournament and is no less competitive with hard fought games that started at the 19h00 starting time and some games running as late as almost 22h00. With over 60 participants in this section it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

JUNIOR CHAMPS
Chess clubs in the Bojanala region and beyond have sent their best and brightest minds to battle it out in the Junior Champs section. Whether they’re from Brits Skaak klub, Sixty-four Squares or from any of the prestigious schools around (Lebone II, Grenville, Fields College etc.), you can tell from the play that no one came just to add to the numbers. One should never underestimate low ratings as the players are still developing n the game and some are suprisingly well prepared!

LINKS
Photographs by EM photography by the talented Engela Mostert can be accessed here. Be sure to use code 3502. Games can also be followed on chessresults.

The FIDE in the Sparkling Waters chess tournament is a FIDE rated tournament hosted by the Bojanala Chess Federation. The venue for this tournament held at the Sparkling Waters Hotel and Spa in Rustenburg. The tournament boasts 3 sections with over 140 participants and will run between July 28th and July 30th 2023.
Prizes
Prestige Section – R34 000 Top Junior gets R1500. Top Female Player gets R1500
Rooks Section – R23 300 Top Youngster (15Y and younger) gets Laptop. Top pre-teen gets Nintendo Switch Yellow Lite. Top Female Player gets Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Junior Champs Section – R 8 050