Local Jewish chess players have been showing their mettle on the board in recent competitions. Four young players were selected for the South African Junior Chess Championships, achieving impressive results in their various age groups.
At just nine years old, Mason Stern, who attends school at Herzlia Weizmann Primary, has received his first international FIDE (the International Chess Federation) rating and is one of the highest rated U10 players in South Africa.
A passionate chess player who loves the game, Mason recently played in his first African Youth Tournament in the U10 Open division. Starting with a ranking of 40, he climbed the rankings ladder quickly during the competition. His participation in tournaments has allowed Mason to make many new friends from different environments.
13-year-old SACS learner, Matthew Shapiro, first picked up the game in Grade 1, and has achieved success on both national and international stages. From 2019 he has consistently earned Western Province colours. It was unfortunate that the Covid pandemic led to the cancellation of the World Schools Championships in Peru, since Matthew had been selected to represent South Africa there.
But he continued playing during the pandemic, transitioning to online platforms. In Grade 4, he earned full colours in the South African Junior online Chess Championships and represented South Africa in the FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets & Youth tournament. A high point came recently when he represented South Africa at the 15th Annual African Youth Chess Championships held in Johannesburg.
Liam Baruch, a Gr10 Herzlia High School pupil, was chosen this year to represent South Africa internationally. He recently participated in the U16 division of the South African Junior Chess Closed Championships, and secured a spot as one of the top three players in the country in the U16 age group.
In Gr12 at Rondebosch Boys High, Gabriel Jacobson has received Western Province (Regional) Schools Colours for Chess. He was selected for the national team for the African Youth Chess Champions, where he confirmed his position as a leading player on the African continent. Gabriel was also selected to participate at Junior level in the 2022 Maccabi Games.It’s certainly encouraging to see the interest in chess among Jewish youngsters in Cape Town. They are, in fact, participating in a mind game that has been popular in the Jewish world over many centuries. Jewish people have excelled at the game, with more than half of the reigning world chess champions having been Jewish.
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