Chess is the perfect activity to develop critical thinking.
Some enjoy the sport as a means of releasing stress, while others simply find it enjoyable. Some schools offer chess clubs and there are various chess academies operating around the country to help improve skills and rankings.
Three Namibian chess champions, Dante Beukes, Jamie-Nicole Beukes and Ottilië Yorokeé Hinda, who are the best in their age groups countrywide, have had the opportunity to travel abroad and play against tough competitors.
YouthPaper finds out more…
Dante Beukes (14)
Dante Beukes loves chess – his awards certainly prove this.
He has participated in the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) World Youth Chess Championships in Greece, the Africa Schools Individual Chess Championships under-13 in Botswana, the World Youth Chess Championships in Durban in 2014 and the World Youth Chess Championships in Slovenia.
At 14 years old, Beukes is currently a candidate master and ranks number one in Namibia, number 24 in Africa and number 3603 worldwide. He has also participated internationally at the Chess Olympiad.
“I like chess because of the problem solving and the mental challenges that it provides,” he said.
He started playing in 2010 and participated in his first tournament in 2011 and he became an under-10 champion in 2012. Participating as one of the youngest in the African tournament, Beukes wants to prove that you can never be too young to hold a championship title.
He is currently attending school at St George’s Diocesan School in Windhoek, but is also a part of The Weekend Chess Academy (TWCA) in Windhoek. When asked why people should start playing chess, he said, “It stimulates your brain. There are a lot of benefits to it and as I said, it really inspires critical thinking.”
Having travelled to about 15 countries thanks to chess, Beukes said that he’s looking forward to participating in more competitions very soon.
Jamie-Nicole Beukes (8)
The bubbly Beukes may seem shy at first, but her chess skills are quite impressive. Being a sibling to Dante Beukes, it looks like chess definitely runs in the family. Speaking on some of her hobbies, the younger Beukes said she loves dancing. “I really like dancing, especially modern dancing. I started dancing two years ago.” Internationally, she has participated in dancing competitions where she did solos and duets, winning gold medals for both.
“No, I don’t get scared when I’m on stage,” she said, with a smile. Dancing every day has made her accustomed to the sport thanks to the Anchen Ville Dance Academy in the capital city. Although dancing may be her first love, she has also participated in various chess championships. She may not have an official ranking just yet but she has played in the Namibian nationals, the African Youth Championships, the African Schools Championship as well as the Cadets Chess Championships which took place in Greece (where her average ranking was 720).
She started playing chess in 2015 and since then it has taken her all around the world and she loves it. Being one of the youngest players to participate in championships around the country, there’s no doubt that this young star will wave the Namibian flag high in other future championships.
Ottilië Yorokeé Hinda (6)
At six years old, Hinda has already participated in the African Schools Chess Championship in Zambia where she came second in her age group (under-7) and the African Youth Chess Championships in South Africa where she was first exposed to an international chess environment.
Playing since the age of four, Hinda’s other passions include swimming. “I always feel like I want to swim when I’m done playing,” Hinda said. Although she only started playing last year, Hinda is also one of the youngest players in the country to represent Namibia in international chess competitions.
When it comes to chess, she said, “Sometimes I have to play until evening and it gets tiring,” but that doesn’t stop her from playing. Also being a part of the TWCA, she feels that it’s a great place, but she does get some practice at home as well.
Other than participating in chess, however, she said some of the other things she enjoys are playing the piano and playing inline hockey and squash. But there’s another activity she plans to do in the future. “I’m going to start yoga,” she said.
