The Zimbabwe Chess Federation successfully hosted the ZCF Cadets and Youth Chess Championships on Sunday, drawing an impressive 230 young players from across the country in what they described as one of the largest and most inclusive junior tournaments on the national calendar.
Speaking after the event, ZCF Secretary and Executive Director Tapiwa Gora said the championship stood out for its inclusivity, bringing together learners from NAF, NASH, ATS, non-ATS schools, and homeschooled students to compete at a high level against their age peers.
“It is a unifying championship in that it attracted players from NAF, NASH, ATS, non-ATS schools and those that are homeschooled, allowing them an opportunity to compete against their age peers at a very high level competition. This was a very big event. It attracted 230 players on the day,” said Gora.
Although only 78 participants had fully registered by the close of official registration, the numbers tripled on the day of the competition, presenting logistical challenges for the organisers.
“It was difficult, but we managed to work around all the obstacles that were thrown at us towards this championship successfully,” he said.
The championship serves as a key selection platform for Zimbabwe’s national junior teams, identifying top players in the Under-8 to Under-18 categories, in both the Open and Girls sections, who will represent the country at major continental and international competitions.
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Gora confirmed that the winners will represent Zimbabwe at the upcoming Africa Youth Chess Championships set to be held in Kampala, Uganda, in May. Zimbabwe hosted the continental event last year.
For the younger players, the World Cadets Chess Championships for Under-8 to Under-12 players will take place in Italy in June. The event will also act as a qualifier for the Cadets World Cup scheduled for November in Batumi, Georgia. Meanwhile, the country’s youth players will compete at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships, also to be staged in Batumi in November.
“So they’ve got enough time to prepare so that they can raise Zimbabwe’s flag high in their international competitions,” Gora said.
In a first for the federation, ZCF introduced cash prizes for the top three finishers in each section, in addition to the traditional trophies, certificates and chess boards. Champions received US$50 each, first runners-up US$30, and second runners-up US$20. In the event of tied scores, the prize money was combined and shared equally among players with the same number of points, including those who may not have initially qualified for a third-place certificate but matched the score.
Gora also extended gratitude to the event’s host, Dominican Convent School, for providing the venue and continued support for chess development.
“We would like to thank our host, Dominican Convent, for providing a stellar venue for this event. Convent has been an all-weather friend in terms of chess for our school pupils. Last year, they hosted us for the Africa Youth Chess Championships and also for the ZCF,” he said.
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