KwaPitela School -- Day 2

On the second day we took Russell and Simone’s daughter with us who plays chess and she helped a lot by walking around the classroom and making sure the students understood what I was explaining.

I showed them the game and notation on the chalkboard as they followed along over their own boards playing the sides against each other...overall it went well. I stopped the play every now and then and explained the important moves in more detail. I feel like maybe they got a better feel for how the pieces move and some basic ideas. But really they just loved to play. And that was good, it was enough to just instill the love of the game in them. Later they could learn to play better, and better, and better....

On this day a chess player who is a member of the local Zulu community and who offered to be the team’s coach came and taught along with me, translating some of the more complicated concepts into Zulu. With him and Russell and Simone’s daughter helping it all went well. I think he'll do a good job continuing the program, though I hope other chess players will come through and help also. Ms. Purity attended for some of the class also. My mom assisted by writing most of the notation on the board and taking the photos and videos. It definitely took a group and will continue to need involvement from the local and chess community to sustain this program and bring these enthusiastic new players to a competitive level. I think it can be done though and that regardless of the outcome the skill of chess will be helpful to the students. It's certainly been a great skill for me to have learned in so many ways and has become such an important part of my life. I honestly can't imagine not playing chess.


You can watch videos from the classes here:

We also shared photos and a letter of greeting from Coach El Mekki and the students of Paul Robeson Chess Club, New Jersey chess coach Malik, and a letter written by a player on the US World Youth team. I think the students really enjoyed looking at the photos and knowing that other youth like them exist around the world to one day meet and play chess with. They also had fun choosing the colorful chess piece key rings that the Paul Robeson students sent as momentos.



A couple of days ago we received word from Headmaster Ndlovu via an email from Russell and Simone that “chess at KwaPitela school is alive and well.” Russell and Simone also reported that the school is getting a library at the end of the month. A local non-profit is sending a large shipping container with doors, windows, shelves and fully stocked with books.