Chess in South Africa

The following lists competitions for Chess in South Africa.

Chess Olympiads

See also: Chess Olympiad

South Africa first participated in the 1958 Olympiad in Munich. The team stopped participating in international chess in 1974 due to the sports boycott as a result of the country's apartheid policies, returning to play at the 1992 Olympiad after the end of apartheid.

Open

Year Event Location Players Position Ref
1958 13th Chess Olympiad Munich, West Germany Heidenfeld, Dreyer, Kirby, Grivainis, Isaacson, Stern 27/36 [1]
1964 16th Chess Olympiad Tel Aviv, Israel Dreyer, Kirby, Rubinsztein, Friedgood, Wolpert, Isaacson 44/50 [1]
1966 17th Chess Olympiad Havana, Cuba Dreyer, Kroon, Heyns, Hangelbroek, Price, Wilken 43/52 [1]
1968 18th Chess Olympiad Lugano, Switzerland Friedgood, Kroon, Morschel, Griffiths, Hangelbroek 36/53 [1]
1970 19th Chess Olympiad Siegen, West Germany Friedgood, Price, Heyns, Griffiths, Dreyer, Bloch 43/60 [1]
1974 21st Chess Olympiad Nice, France Friedgood, Kroon, Korostenski, de Villiers, Bloch DNF/63* [1]
1992 30th Chess Olympiad Manila, Philippines Solomons, de Villiers, D Gluckman, Kobese, Bouah, M Solomon 63/102 [2][1]
1994 31st Chess Olympiad Moscow, Russia Solomons, Kobese, de Villiers, Bouah, M Solomon 58/124 [3][1]
1996 32nd Chess Olympiad Yerevan, Armenia D Gluckman, Michelakis, Kobese, Levitt, Kromhout, Pearson 63/114 [4][1]
1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Elista, Russia Kobese, Rubery, K Solomon, de Villiers, Cawdery 80/110 [5]
2000 34th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey D Gluckman, K Solomon, van der Nat, Kromhout, M Solomon 68/129 [6]
2002 35th Chess Olympiad Bled, Slovenia D Gluckman, K Solomon, J Gluckman, Levitt, Aranov, Kromhout 102/140 [7]
2004 36th Chess Olympiad Calvià, Spain Michelakis, Kobese, K Solomon, D Gluckman, Solomons, J Gluckman 55/129 [8]
2006 37th Chess Olympiad Turin, Italy Kobese, K Solomon, van der Nat, Cawdery, Ophoff, van den Heever 83/150 [9]
2008 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden, Germany Kobese, K Solomon, Steel, Cawdery, Mabusela 58/154 [10]
2010 39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, van den Heever 74/149 [11]
2012 40th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, Cawdery 62/157 [12]
2014 41st Chess Olympiad Tromsø, Norway K Solomon, Steel, Kobese, van den Heever, D Gluckman 82/177 [13]
2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Baku, Azerbaijan K Solomon, Cawdery, Kobese, van den Heever, Klaasen 97/180 [14]
2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Batumi, Georgia Cawdery, Kobese, Klaasen, Mabusela, van den Heever 70/185 [15]
2022 44th Chess Olympiad Chennai, India K Solomon, Cawdery, Barrish, Mhango, Kobese 55/188 [16]
2024 45th Chess Olympiad Budapest, Hungary Barrish, Karsten, Levitan, Mhango, Cawdery 67/196 [17]
  • - In 1974, FIDE expelled the team with three rounds to go due to the country's apartheid policies.

Women

Year Event Location Players Position Ref
1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Elista, Russia Erwee, Minnaar, Frank, Laubscher 62/72 [18]
2000 34th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey Minnaar, Meyer, Frick, van der Merwe 71/86 [19]
2002 35th Chess Olympiad Bled, Slovenia van der Merwe, Pretorius, Neethling, Bleazard 68/93 [20]
2004 36th Chess Olympiad Calvià, Spain van der Merwe, Pretorius, Frick, Ellappen 68/87 [21]
2006 37th Chess Olympiad Turin, Italy Frick, Ellappen, Moodliar, Laubscher 66/108 [22]
2008 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden, Germany Solomons, Greeff, Ellappen, de Jager, Sischy 57/114 [23]
2010 39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Greeff, Solomons, Sischy, Ezeet, Mbalenhie 69/115 [24]
2012 40th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey Greeff, van der Merwe, Solomons, Frick, Tlale 65/127 [25]
2014 41st Chess Olympiad Tromsø, Norway Frick, Solomons, Tlale, R van Niekerk, Fisher 72/136 [26]
2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Baku, Azerbaijan Frick, Laubscher, February, Fisher, L van Niekerk 72/140 [27]
2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Batumi, Georgia February, Bouah, Fisher, Selkirk, van Zyl 62/151 [28]
2022 44th Chess Olympiad Chennai, India February, van Zyl, Badenhorst, Selkirk, Bouah 100/162 [29]
2024 45th Chess Olympiad Budapest, Hungary February, Badenhorst, Klaasen, Nel, Strong 87/183 [30]

Major tournaments

Major tournaments hosted in South Africa include the South African Chess Championship and the South African Open.

In 2023, the first Cape Town Chess Masters was held.[31]

Top players

South Africa has one grandmaster; Kenny Solomon. Solomon earned the title by winning the African Chess Championship in December 2014.[32] Solomon is however not the top-ranked player in the country.

Rank Player Rating Year of birth
1 IM Henry Steel 2413 1989
2 IM Daniel Cawdery 2350 1982
3 IM Jan Karsten 2327 2008
4 FM Caleb Levitan 2293 2010
5 FM Roland Bezuidenhout 2285 1997
6 FM Daniel Barrish 2284 2000
7 GM Kenny Solomon 2280 1979
8 CM Ja Ophoff 2273 1979
9 CM Watu Kobese 2264 1973
10 FM Jack Van Zyl-Rudd 2248 2002

[33] as of January 2025

Top female players

Rank Player Rating Year of birth
1 WIM Jesse February 2052 1997
2 WFM Chloe Badenhorst 2004 2007
3 WCM Chisomo Boshoma 1944 2007
4 WIM Charlize Van Zyl 1940 1999
5 WCM Hayley Nel 1830 2006

[34] as of January 2025

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "OlimpBase :: Men's Chess Olympiads :: Republic of South Africa, Team Record".
  2. ^ "30th Chess Olympiad: Manila 1992".
  3. ^ "31st Chess Olympiad: Moscow 1994".
  4. ^ "32nd Chess Olympiad: Yerevan 1996".
  5. ^ "33rd Chess Olympiad 1998 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  6. ^ "34th Chess Olympiad 2000 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  7. ^ "35th Chess Olympiad 2002 Open Men". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. ^ "36th Chess Olympiad 2004 Open Men"s section". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  9. ^ "37th Chess Olympiad 2006 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  10. ^ "38th Olympiad Dresden 2008 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  11. ^ "39th Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  12. ^ "40th Olympiad Istanbul 2012 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  13. ^ "41st Olympiad Tromso 2014 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  14. ^ "42nd Olympiad Baku 2016 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  15. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  16. ^ "44th Olympiad Batumi 2022 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  17. ^ "45th Chess Olympiad Budapest 2024 Open". chess-results.com. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  18. ^ "33rd Chess Olympiad 1998 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  19. ^ "34th Chess Olympiad 2000 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  20. ^ "35th Chess Olympiad 2002 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  21. ^ "36th Chess Olympiad 2004 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  22. ^ "37th Chess Olympiad 2006 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  23. ^ "38th Chess Olympiad 2008 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  24. ^ "39th Chess Olympiad 2010 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  25. ^ "40th Chess Olympiad Istanbul 2012 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  26. ^ "41st Olympiad Tromso 2014 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  27. ^ "42nd Olympiad Baku 2016 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  28. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  29. ^ "44th Olympiad Chennai 2018 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  30. ^ "45th Chess Olympiad Budapest 2024 Women". chess-results.com. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  31. ^ Wilson, Paul (10 January 2024). "Cape Town Masters Chess Championship 2024 – South African Chess Hub". Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  32. ^ "South Africa's first Grandmaster". Chess News. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  33. ^ "FIDE Chess Ranking and Statistics". ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  34. ^ "FIDE Chess Ranking and Statistics". ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
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