Max Nitzborn

Composed By: President Israel Shilongo

On cold Monday evenings, unity in chess comes into play in the central part of one of the least populated nations in the world. Namibia is not just home to the oldest plant in the world, in the Welwitschia Mirabilis but she is also providing a platform for one of the most exciting chess evenings in the universe.

The Namibia Chess League has been running for the past five (5) years, with every year proving to have more participating teams and it has continually grown in popularity. The 2018 chess league season is no exception in growth, boasting a total of ten (10) premier league teams, eight (8) more in the first division and a further six (6) in the junior league, that play a double round robin format to eventually crown the best in each category for the year in view.

Capablanca Chess Club in action

Capablanca Chess Club, a club widely referred to as “Los Cubanos” or more commonly the Cubans, is a team named after the former world champion GM Jose Raul Capablanca and has dominated domestic team chess, winning the premier chess league for a record five (5) times since inception. The ever present members of Capablanca are none other than, Current Namibian National Champion CM Charles Eichab, Multiple Olympian CM Otto Nakapunda, Former National Champion Peter Gallert, under the stewardship of Multiple Namibia Police Chess Champion, Thomas Ehrich.

IM Gwaze of 3D Grandmonsters vs Kajovi of TWCA

The Cubans have the oldest average squad in the chess league and the old guards are finding it hard in this particular campaign, with stiffer oppositions coming up in various teams. In the 2018 Premier Chess League, they have suffered two (2) defeats after seven (7) rounds, as much as they have suffered in the previous five (5) years. With such defeats, one of which was inflicted by Current table toppers, 3D Grand Monsters Chess Club, led by Former African Champion IM Robert Gwaze and Former Olympian Simon Shidolo. With the seven (7) rounds completed, Capablanca Chess Club find themselves in unfamiliar territory at 5th position.

Rubinstein Chess Academy

Surprisingly, 2nd place is being occupied by Rubinstein Chess Academy, the youngest chess club, founded three (3) years ago and debuting in the Premier Chess League after winning the 2017 First Division Chess League. Rubinstein Chess Academy is home to one of the upsetters in Namibian Chess in recent years in Clarence Campbell, Current Namibia National 4th placed player, CM Mclean Handjaba and Current NCF President Israel Shilongo. With objectives of surviving at the start of the campaign, but a shift in mindset has since been applied from survival to League glory, after being the only team to have beaten the table toppers so far, with that win coming in round four (4).

The Namibia Premier Chess League boasts a great array of chess players, which include, but not limited to, former Namibia National Champions, such as FM Dante Beukes, Goodwill Khoa and Max Nitzborn. Former Junior champions Toivo Nangula, Immanuel Gariseb and Current National Women’s champion Nicola Tjaronda, to mention just a few.

Namibian Chess League Stars in Zambia: F-B FM Dante Beukes, CM Otto Nakapunda, CM Charles Eichab Picture Courtesy: Berdian Beukes

The Namibia Chess league accommodate close to a hundred (100) participants per evening, with the First Division hosting the eight (8) teams which includes, The Steins Chess Club, Zeed Chess Club and TWCA Towering Rooks, who are all second tier leveled clubs that have been formed from the parent clubs, Rubinstein Chess Academy, Zandell Chess Academy and The Weekend Chess Academy (TWCA) Respectively. A great indication of how the role of Chess Academies have played a major role in the uplifting of chess in the Land of the Brave.

The model for league participation in academies has branched so deep that 50% of the Junior League teams are comprised of teams from the aforementioned academies, namely The Rubys Chess Club, ZCA Pawn Storms and TWCA Mighty Pawns respectively. Having been established in 2017, the Junior league is earmarked to be the “Talent Identification Haven” for future international chess masters that Namibia will ever see. seven (7) year old CM Ottilie Hinda is just one of the stars plying her trade in the Junior League.

Some Juniors Battling it out

With a chance to showcase the trophies at the Namibia Chess Awards to be held in December, the race for national supremacy intensifies every round. Blood, sweat and tears serve as a motivational factor on the sixty four (64) squares. On a good evening, the strengths of a 1200 cannot be underestimated, and a rating of 2100 just becomes an ordinary number. It is on that basis that five (5) consecutive Premier Chess League wins seem ordinary and the Cubans can finally join the chasing pack.

The year 2019 is bound to come with more competitiveness, but it is 2018 that Rubinstein Chess Academy under the leadership of a chess rookie in the name of Jonas Iipinge, are working hard to set a benchmark of new blood tormenting the veterans, giving hope for the hopeless and inspiring the future generation of chess players, both home and abroad.

The Namibia Open awaits on the 27th – 29th of July, as the Chess League continues to send waves across the African continent and beyond, in preparation for Batumi Chess Olympiad. Chess will never be the same in Namibia. And it is good to note, that the days of total dominance from an individual club is seemingly coming to an end, and the spirit of Harambee has hit all sectors of the country, of which club chess is not exempted.

Co-Written by: Victor Chimbamu

Born in the capital city of Windhoek, Namibia, on the 17th day of January 2003, Dante Matthew Beukes has developed and evolved over the years to become Namibian National Champion, as well as one of the youngest African Chess Olympian. And Africa Chess Media just had to do a piece on this African prodigy, who would be battling International Masters and Grandmasters at the upcoming Africa Individual Chess Championship, holding in Livingstone, Zambia.

Dante’s Childhood

Due to parental movements, Dante lived in Keetmanshoop and Okahandja for about a combined total of two (2) years, as he was growing up, but has spent most of his young life in Windhoek, developing, schooling and playing chess. Dante currently attends St George’s Diocesan College, Windhoek, and he is currently in grade nine (9).

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Dante Beukes as a child

Growing up was quite interesting for the chap and Dante learned how to play chess at the age of seven (7), being taught by Mr Williamson, who was the chess coach at his school’s chess club.

Dante’s Journey to National Champion

But Dante did not participate in any tournament until about a year later, when he was eight (8) years old. It was a team competition and his school registered two (2) teams. As a starter, he was put into the B-team and scored a life changing zero (0) point of seven (7) games. No draws, no wins, just outright loses, as he fell to every cheap trick in the book.

National Champion Dante Beukes

The following year, Dante was enrolled at The Weekend Chess Academy, which was and still is being run by Fide Instructor Max Nitzborn, a patient and understanding coach, who broke down all he needed to know about the game. And from finishing with zero (0) points in a seven (7) round tournament at the primary schools competition, he became the Namibia Under ten (10) National Champion and represented Namibia at the World Youth Championships in Slovenia.

Dante continued to grow in strength and obtained obtained his Candidate Master title at the Africa Schools Individual Chess Championship, Botswana in 2015. And within the coming year 2016, Dante became the youngest player to qualify for the Namibia Men’s Olympiad team.

FM Dante Beukes

Later that year, Dante qualified and received his Fide Master title with another brilliant performance at the Africa Schools in Zambia to become the second and youngest FM in Namibia.

In 2017, the Namibia Chess Federation decided to change the system of the National Championship by having two (2) phases, the qualifier and the closed. The qualifier was a nine (9) round Swiss tournament, and Dante finished in second (2nd) place, just behind CM Charles Eichab. And a few weeks later, the closed championship was held. This was a nine (9) game Round Robin tournament, with the top ten (10) players from the qualifiers and it was going to be Dante who would win the championship ahead of the top players at the event and the become the youngest Namibian National Champion at age 14.

Dante on African Soil

Dante was one of the youngest players at the age of fifteen (15) years, who took part in the Africa Zone 4.3 Individual Chess Championship, held in Maputo, Mozambique, sometime last month. Even though he was one of the least rated at the event, he ended the tournament with four (4) points and gained eighty six (86) ELO rating points.

FM Dante Beukes at the Africa Zone 4.3 Individual Chess Championship

He defeated Kela Siame Kaulule (ELO 2191) and Candidate Master Musatwe Simutowe (ELO 2239), both of Zambia, in the opening two (2) rounds, after which he lost to the better informed duo of Aderito Pedro (ELO 2323) and Domingos Catarino (ELO 2253), both of Angola, before picking up a draw against Prince Daniel Mulenga (ELO 2249) of Zambia.

Link to Game: http://chess-results.com/partieSuche.aspx?lan=1&art=4&tnr=343779&rd=1

The three Zambian players are part of the team that qualified to represent Zambia at the World Chess Olympiad, to be held in Batumi, Georgia, from the 23rd of September to the 6th of October, 2018. This was a great feat for the fifteen (15) year old Namibian, as he held his own against players whose ratings were much higher than his and gained some good rating points to boost his goal for the year.

FM Dante Beukes against CM Musatwe Simutowe

And after this event, he participated in the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa Invitational Tournament, The KCF Capablanca Open B section, where he finished joint first position with Masiya Mfundo of South Africa, who happened to be the only player he lost to at the tournament.

Dante’s Future!?

When his father was asked about his son’s future, as to where he sees the boy prodigy in four years time, laughing, he said, that he hopes to see a 2400+ player.

But when Dante was asked about his goal for the year and his long term goal, he responded thus: “My goal for this year was to get my rating to ELO 2000, which I have already done by quite a margin, judging by my performances in the past months. So, I will just be trying to improve on my strength. And as for the long term, naturally, I want to be a Grandmaster. I think everyone wants this as well, or at least dreams about it. In my personal life, I don’t know what I would like to do yet, but i believe I will figure it out sooner rather than later.

The Namibian Team to The Olympiad R-L: President Israel Shilongo, Champion Charles Eichab,FM Dante Beukes, FM Mueller Leonhard, CM Handjaba McLean, and Gariseb Immanuel

Dante is currently one of the Namibian contingents participating at the Africa Individual Chess Championship starting tomorrow, playing against the very best from all over Africa. Even though he has represented Namibia at the World Chess Olympiad, this would be a huge platform for him to make a huge statement to Africa, that there is a prodigy becoming a top player in Namibia!

The Namibian Chess League

Dante Beukes: The Rise of a Namibian Chess Prodigy