Very often after a chess event I get to feel on top of the world; whether I have been playing or not, a chess weekend always ends in joyful retirement for me as I get home to rest. This is usually because my students always bring home the gold and they come back home to inspire their peers making them wish they were as good or that they had the opportunity . The most fulfillong thing about this is that they actually believe that as long as they practice and learn from me there is no stopping them.
Today I got home tired but feeling more hopeful, more inspired and filled with more joy than in any of these days when my kids have conquered in "foreign lands". Today a big and inspiring chess event happened at home giving us a chance to show off our chess prowess as a community.
The deeeply moving sight of hundreds of black kids from various township Schools gathered for a Chess event at one of their own school was beyond fulfilling for a selfappointed Chess promoter and Community development enthusiast like myself. This was one of the nationwide launches of a potentially big and influential Chess and community developmet organisation known as Donate A Piece foundation. This wonderful organisation aims to promote and support Chess development in townships all over South Africa throught donation of garden Chess sets and normal table sets to township Schools. It was just our luck that one of the organisation's ambassadors is Mpumalanga's very own Chess champion (soon to be representing us at the SA Closed Championship 2015 in Cape Town), Lekazi born and bred Mr Jacob Dumisa Nkosi. Through him we were able to get Donate-a-piece in its early days to shine its bright light on our community.
Donate-a-piece, in keeping with its promise, donated a fullsize outdoor Chess set to Tenteleni Primary School in Kanyamazane and treated the kids to a full day of Chess competition. The categories for the chess tournament were u10, u12, u14, u16, u18 and seniors. this saw the whole community of old and new chess players come together. The chess veterans of the community came out in their numbers, some playing a tournament for the first time today, but their skills eclipse the fact.
The chess atmosphere was such that you wished every weekend was this way. Chess came alive in kanyamazane today and the kids in their hundreds could feel it. From the primary schools Under 10 and Under 12 groups of jovial and excited little thinkers (among whom the ever so bright, strongest under 10 in Mpumalanga Deckan Nkosi and the amazing Ehlanzeni Female Chess Champion and undoubtedly the best perfoming Under 12 of 2015 Lindokuhle Bhila also to represent us at the SA Closed Championship 2015); to the high School tactical and competitive planners on the Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 who didn't seem to have enough of each other; each unsatisfied with their final position, threatning that next time they will be the one on the gold.
The seniors, the old strategists', no less sharper than the juniors- in fact the most sharper of the categories with former champion makers of the province and previous regional champions themselves battling to prove that a Chess mind never gets old. Watching the depth of their games and experiencing the passion of these veterans fills one with hope and excitement for the future of Chess in these townships and region.
This is what it takes to lift up the status of our communities in the towships and rural areas, for some one to feel responsible enough to take the first step to give back what they can to the community that shaped his/her worldview, the community of your roots after you have grown and made something of yourself.
The guys from donate a piece are doing what every succesful black man and woman should be doing; that is to look back at the underdeveloped communities our children are growing up in and try to remove what little obstactle of progress and development is on the way and install step ladders to help them realise their full potential.
Chess is one big obstacle remover and a step ladder in itself. It unclogs the brain and allows it to function at full capacity. Chess teaches one to think analytically and creatively; logically and critically. This alone opens up a whole new world for the young minds as they navigate through the ghettos and gutters allowing them to see themselves out of whatever hardships. Chess is the only sport that excercises the full brain activating both the left and right hemisphere. This is to say that giving any community the gift of Chess is more than gold, it is a gold mine!
Donate a piece is doing a marvelous job in helping improve our communities; this is an intervention of epic proportions; A gigantic step in the restoration of hope in black communities. The success of such programs however lies in the hands of the members of the communities taking further proactive steps in ensuring that the youth keep playing; the seniors with their skills and passion are given opportunities to share and plant back to the growing minds; and that the competitive spirit stays alive.
Today I felt elated because I have been mobilising schools to take up chess and offering them training for a couple of years now and today these schools all came together to celebrate Chess in unity here at home. Today I was not happy for bringing home a few gold medals, today I was happy because Chess was here at home with me and that is gold! I realise now that our kids are already better, they no longer need to go out to beat surburbans to test their level, but surburbans need to come to the township to learn Chess!
Thank you to all the parents who came to support their kids, your support means a lot to Chess; thank you to the Schools, the teachers and the Principals who supported the event by organising transport for their teams to get to the event, it wouldn't be the same without your commitment; thank you to the hosting School for the warm and friendly atmosphere; thank you to the seniors, veterans of the game who give a good status to Chess in our communities, true role models ; a bigger thank you to Donate-a-piece for inspiring our community to reawaken and realise the possibilities in Chess and inspiring our kids to dream and be hopeful that Chess can make a difference in their futures
I hope this inspires you to make a difference in your community or support a cause that aims to improve your community. Think about it, if you don't who will?
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