A chess organisation is helping Cape Winelands towns to establish their own chess clubs. This is according to Willem van Tonder, a committee member of Cape Winelands Chess.
The organisation’s current goal is to increase the local popularity of chess, by establishing a club in every town in the Cape Winelands Municipal District, said Van Tonder.
The Cape Winelands District includes the areas of Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Breede Valley, Langeberg, and Witzenburg, according to the Cape Winelands District Municipality website. PHOTO: Joel Ontong (taken August 2021)
Cape Winelands Chess
Cape Winelands Chess is “in control of all chess activities in the Cape Winelands”, said Freek Geyser, president of the organisation. They also assist schools with chess-related activities, he said. The organisation is not affiliated with the Cape Winelands District Municipality, he added.
On 21 May, Cape Winelands Chess used social media to attract communities interested in chess. “So, this is the starting phase, just to see who is interested,” stated Van Tonder.
Cape Winelands Chess will meet with interested communities to assess and provide the needed resources to start and maintain a club, said Van Tonder. Resources include playing equipment and club supervisors, he said.
Some communities have already shown interest in starting a club and the organisation has met with them, such as the town of Hermon, said Van Tonder.
Through Cape Winelands Chess, the focus will be on the rural communities of the Cape Winelands area by helping to start chess clubs, according to Freek Geyser, president of the organisation. They are also focused on attracting younger people for chess-related activities, according to Geyser. PHOTO: Supplied/Freek Geyser
Reviving interest in chess
Many towns in the Stellenbosch and Drakenstein areas had chess clubs but due to a lack of resources, they do not exist anymore, claimed Van Tonder. Therefore, the members of the organisation want to revive this interest, he said.
“There is a big need for chess in [the rural areas of Stellenbosch], but due to inadequate support, they just run dead,” stated Uhlan Lackay, a chess coach in the Cape Winelands, who felt that chess is an underrepresented sport in the rural communities of Stellenbosch.
Therefore, one of the organisation’s focus areas is the rural communities of the Stellenbosch municipality, according to Geyser. The only two official chess clubs in the Stellenbosch area are not based in any rural communities, said Geyser.
Chess can be a social equaliser for different communities and welcomes a cultural diversity of players, according to Freek Geyser, president of Cape Winelands Chess. It is a highly accessible and affordable sport, he added. PHOTO: Joel Ontong
The benefits of chess
Chess can impact the youth and “change a community”, said Riaan Michiel, a member of the Drakenstein Pioneer Chess Club. The club is using social media to reach out to communities, in order to assist Cape Winelands Chess with their current initiative, said Van Tonder, who is the president of the club.
The club was established to foster community cohesion through chess, according to their Facebook page. They currently have around 50 members, said Michiel.
There are many benefits to playing chess, for communities and individuals alike, according to Van Tonder.
Chess “makes children think outside the box a bit” and gives them an opportunity for mental exercise, said Michiel.
The sport teaches players to take responsibility for their actions and plan, said Geyser. The sport can bring communities together, he added.
Erica Adams, a community member of Pniel, spoke to MatieMedia about her love for chess. Having a resourced chess club would be a benefit to a community like Pniel, according to Adams. AUDIO: Joel Ontong