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SA proud to host chess championships
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Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma says South Africa is proud to host the African Open Chess Championships for the second time in two years.

Eight hundred players from 29 countries, which include eight grandmasters, six women grandmasters, thirteen international masters, are participating.

Zuma said sport contributed to advancing sustainable development in different sectors of the South African society.

“One can clearly see this at this wonderful event. It is important that we reflect on the last twenty years of chess in South Africa.”

South Africa returned to international chess on 7 June 1992 when they played against Argentina in the Philippines.

“On Robben Island chess provided a solace to us that we needed in those conditions of isolation and deprivation.

“It propelled our minds beyond the confines of the prison walls and allowed us to reflect and to position our thoughts strategically to fight the regime,” Zuma said.

Sport was second to none as “a school for democracy”.

“It is for this reason that I take deep personal interest in chess and have been actively involved in encouraging this sport in disadvantaged rural communities in the country.

“We also share a common sentiment with the Department of Basic Education to encourage chess as a serious sport in the schools.”

Zuma said South Africa intends to use chess as an educational tool, to enhance logic and lateral thinking for mathematics and sciences, which many people find difficult.

“While with young children, we are largely concerned about good development of sensory-motor skills, we are also saying that we must stimulate the intellectual faculties as well, while they are still young, so that they do well in the future.

“We will therefore greatly appreciate if the efforts to develop chess in this country and in the continent advance at a higher speed, so that our children start to rank among the best in the world.”

As a country South Africa will count on the Local Organising Committee’s commitment to supporting chess development programmes in underprivileged communities. – SAnews.gov.za
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SA proud to host chess championships - by Newsroom - 15-07-2013, 01:49 PM

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