The annual Rhenish Primary Schools Tournament saw a good attendance from the new crop of players, as well as some stiff competition in all the age groups from the more seasoned players.
Rhenish 2019
Cape Winelands Open 2019
Cape Winelands Chess held their Open Tournament in Worcester this year.
Heinrich Basson from Stellenbosch Chess Club won the Elite Section of the Tournament, followed by Salmo Cilliers and Keagan Palmer also from Stellenbosch.
Results for the Tournament –
Elite Section: http://chess-results.com/tnr435429.aspx?lan=1&art=4
B Section: http://chess-results.com/tnr435430.aspx?lan=1&art=4
U/12: http://chess-results.com/tnr435431.aspx?lan=1&art=4
U/10: http://chess-results.com/tnr435432.aspx?lan=1&art=4
U/8: http://chess-results.com/tnr435433.aspx?lan=1&art=1
Cape Winelands Schools Invitational Closed
Worcester was the setting for the final round of Cape Winelands Schools Chess Trials over the weekend of the 16th and 17th of March 2017.
The results from Chess-Results: U7 Boys and Girls, U9 Boys, U9 Girls, U11 Boys, U11 Girls, U13 Boys, U13 Girls, U15 Boys, U15 Girls, U18 & 20 Boys, U18 Girls
Congratulations to all the medal winners and the players included in the Cape Winelands  School Chess Team!
Some individual pics of the players for sale can be found on the website for Occi’s Photos
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Western Cape Women’s Open 2019
Womans Candidate Master Rebecca Selkirk of Stellenbosch won the Western Cape Women’s Open Chess Championship held over the weekend in Cape Town.  She scored 5,5 points out of a possible 6 in a strong field which included 4 titled players. Second was Women International Master Anzel Laubscher with 5 out of 6.  Women Candidate Master Michelle Fisher, of Maties, came in third also with 5 out of 6.  WIM Laubscher was placed ahead of WCM Fisher because of better tie-break points. Â
WCM Selkirk only drew against WIM Anzel Laubscher on her way to the title. She defeated all her other opponents amongst others WCM Natasha Joubert in the final round. WCM Michelle Fisher drew against WCM Anzel Laubscher and Thea Koen for her 5 points.
The Stellenbosch players dominated the field of 41 women who took part in the Prestige and A sections of the tournament. The three medallists in the Prestige section of the tournament were all members of the South African Olympiad team that took part in Batumi, Georgia in September 2018.
Kamvalethu Mqikela took gold in the A section followed by WCM Natasha Joubert with the silver medal. Nhlanhla Maputa was third in this section.
Tamsan October was victorious in the B section of the tournament, with Anuschka Amsterdam in second place.  Both won all their games.  Samantha Rabkin won the bronze medal.  The B section had 60 competitors.
WIM Anzel Laubscher, WCM Rebecca Selkirk, Kamvalethu Mqikela, Nhlanhla Maputa, Thea Koen (4thPrestige section), WCM Michelle Fisher, Ameera Yacoob (4thOpen section) and WCM Natasha Joubert.
Photo Credits - Flashlight Pictures
Nelson Mandela Rapid 2019
Fide Master Dante Beukes from Namibia won the fourth Nelson Mandela Rapid Chess Tournament on 2 March 2019 held at the Drakenstein Correctional facility with 4.5 out of a possible 5 points. The Rapid Tournament is unique in that each player has 27 minutes to make all the moves in the game. Each minute represents a year former President Mandela spent in prison. Michael James scored 4 points, which secured him the second position. Heinrich Basson from the Stellenbosch Chess Club was placed third.
Keegan Palmer of Paul Roos Gymnasium won the high school section of the tournament. Thevan Keshan of Hugenote High School was placed second while Reagan Rass also from Paul Roos Gymnasium finished third.
Cheslin Palmer, the younger brother of Keegan, won the primary school section of the tournament.  Cuthanzario Winter scored 4 points to win second spot. Chulumanc Zungalafrom Ikaya Primary School won the bronze medal.
Front: Chulumanc Zungala, Cuthanzario Winter, Cheslin Palmer. Back:  Y Snyman (Correctional Services), Mr M Wiese (AVBOB), L de Jager (Arbiter)
From left: E Steenkamp (Pres WP Chess), C Maxwell (Pres CWC Chess), Y Snyman(Correctional Servicces), M James, H Basson, L de Jager, D Pick, FM D Beaukes, M Wiese (AVBOB) L de Jager (Arbiter)
Y Snyman (Correctional Services) R Rass, T Kheshan, K Palmer, M Wiese (AVBOB), L de Jager (Arbiter)
Salmo Cilliers (Stellenbosch High School) left against Heinrich Basson (Stellenbosch Chess Club). In the back Luan de Jager (white pieces) and David Harris (black pieces). Open section of the Nelson Mandela Rapid Tournament.
New Executive for Cape Winelands Chess Elected
Heinrich Basson elected as Deputy President of Cape Winelands Chess Union.
Heinrich Basson of the Stellenbosch Chess Club was elected as Deputy President of the Cape Winelands Chess Union on Saturday, 23 February 2019 at the Wellington High School. Â Mr Zaakie Jacobs of the Worcester Chess Academy was the other candidate for this position. Â Mr Jacobs graciously withdrew his candidature in favour of Heinrich Basson.
The elections took place under the auspices of the Western Cape Chess Association. Â Mr Leon de Jager was chairperson of the election meeting. Â He indicated in a short speech that the election of the new Cape Winelands Chess Union means that all the unions in the Western Cape are now functional and heralds a new era in Western Cape Chess.
Christian Maxwell of Drakenstein Dragons Chess Club was elected as President of the Cape Winelands Chess Union. 
The full Executive is Christian Maxwell (President), Heinrich Basson (Deputy President), Ms Fairous Adams (Treasurer), Ms Joceline Nel (Secretary) and Mr Zaakie Jacobs (Additional Member).
Mr Maxwell expressed his hope that the Cape Winelands Chess Union will go from strength to strength. Â He also intimated that the new executive has quite a few ideas to develop chess in the region. Â
In a discussion after the meeting between the Clubs present, the participants urged the formation of a Cape Winelands Chess League and also the return of the Boland (Cape Winelands) Open tournament.
The outgoing President Mr Reza Williams was thanked for his contribution to chess.  Mr Williams could not attend the election because of work commitments.
The Stellenbosch Chess Club wishes the new executive all the best for their term and would support the CWCU wherever possible.
Chess Western Province Awards Ceremony
Stellenbosch Chess Club received several awards during the Chess Western Province Award Ceremony for 2018, held at the Observatory Community Hall on Wednesday 6 February. Â
The Stellenbosch A team won silver medals for the second place in the Premier Division of the Western Province Club League Championship of 2018.  They scored 17 match points and 51 game points.  The only match they lost was against Manyanani Chess Club.  The eventual winners were Steinitz Chess Club with 19 match points.  In their match Stellenbosch drew with Steinitz 4 – 4.  Daniel Frank also won the Board prize for Board 8 in the Premier Division.
The Stellenbosch D team won the bronze medal in the D Division with 15 match points and 42.5 game points. Â Dayne Fraser, a pupil of Paul Roos Gymnasium, won the Board Prize for Board 5 in the E Division of the League.
The Western Province Club League Championship exists from 1907 and is the oldest and biggest Club League Competition on the African continent.  27 Chess Clubs with 66 teams took part in the Championship of 2018.  Stellenbosch, although geographically in the Cape Winelands, has always been part of the Western Province Club League Championship.  The last time Stellenbosch Chess Club won the Club League Championship was in 2008.
Cape Winelands Schools Chess Open
Cape Winelands literally took things to the Winelands – the 2019 Open Schools Tournament took place at Nederburg Wines.
Congratulations – Here is the “line-up” of medal winners!
Chess Calendar for 2019
Have a look at the Events Page on Chess Stellenbosch to get the latest dates and information about Chess Tournaments and Schools Events for the Stellenbosch area!
Compiled from Cape Winelands Schools Chess and Chess Western Province latest information received.
As always, please treat all dates and venues as provisional, until confirmed by the LOC or Organizers.
SAJCC 2018 Report
Stellenbosch Learners and Stellenbosch Chess Club Players who took part in this past SAJCC in Boksburg as part of the Western Province Team, were:
U8A – Bronze
Israel Edwards (board prize)
U10A – Bronze
Cronan Willis, Reagan Samuels and Kayla van Schaik
U10B
Jarrod Roux
U10 Girls – Gold
Noreht Nieuwoudt (board prize)
U12A – Gold
Migael van Schaik
U12B – Silver
Jacobus Geyser and Earl Erasmus
U12 Girls – Gold
Robyn Skippers and Jamie Roux
U14A – Silver
Alexander van der Merwe (board prize), and Brett Williams (board prize)
U16B – Gold
Phillip Coetzee (board prize), and Dawid Nieuwoudt (board prize)
U20A – Silver
Andrew Flores-Bartoli, and Nathan Amsterdam (board prize)
Well done to all!!
Some pics from the prize giving – photo credits SAJCC Facebook page
Chess Stellenbosch 