Round 1 of Premier Chess League Kicks Off

Round 1 of the Premier Chess League starts on MONDAY, 3rd March 2014 at Protea Hotel Thuringerhof.

Everyone is expected there by 18h00 for the Opening ceremony.


The 14 Clubs taking part in the League this year are;

Capablanca Chess Club (CC)
Grand Monsters CC
Gunter Husselman CC
Herero Mall CC
Indomitable Knights CC
Police CC
Queens United CC
TWCA
Poly Rookers CC
Poly U-Knighted CC
Unam CC
Unam Khomasdal Campus CC
ZCA
Checkmate CC

HERE ARE THE FIXTURES FOR ROUND 1:


1. Police CC                       vs                      Herero Mall CC
2. Unam CC                       vs                      Gunter Husselman CC
3. Queens United                vs                       Indomitable Knights CC
4. TWCA                           vs                       Poly U-Knighted CC
5. ZCA                               vs                      Grand Monsters CC
6. Poly Rookers CC            vs                      Checkmate CC
7. Unam Khd Campuc CC  vs                      Capablanca CC

Annual General Meeting 2014

All members please take note that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Namibian Chess Federation is on the 8^{th of} March 2014 in Windhoek. 

VENUE: Protea Hotel Thuringerhof

TIME: 12H30 for 13H00 (Meeting starts exactly at 13H00)

As per the Constitution, the agenda for the day will primarily consist of the following;

1. Roll call/ Attendance List

2. Welcoming

3. Approval of the minutes of the previous meetings;

4. Matters arising from minutes;

5. Reports by the president,

      secretary;

      treasurer;

      development officer;

      

6. Discussions of recommendations and proposals submitted by the executive committee

7. Discussion of motions and proposals submitted by the representatives/ NCF members

8. Discussion and review of general matters of policy;

All members, clubs and academies are hereby invited to forward additional possible Agenda Points before 4th March, via email to secretary@namibiachessfederation.com.

NCF meets Garry in Jo-burg...

Three NCF representatives met with former world champion and current FIDE presidency candidate Garry Kasparov together with his South African dignitaries, which included Afika Msimang, president of the Kasparov Chess Foundation in Africa and the president of Chess South Africa, Hendrik du Toit amongst others. President of the Namibia Chess Federation, Otto Nakapunda and his colleagues rubbed shoulders with Kasparov during a dinner meeting in Sandton, Johannesburg, where the chess minded grandees presented radical methods of growing chess not only in Namibia but in Africa as a whole. Amidst a number of campaign driven discussions, Kasparov mentioned that he now recognized the fact that Africa has been neglected for far too long in terms of providing chess as an educational tool and that he himself was guilty of this a few years back. The now retired professional chess player however has now continued to show his commitment to developing chess in school programs in many African countries.

The NCF delegates were also treated to an eye-opening workshop aimed at illustrating how chess has had a huge impact on South African schools through a MiniChess[1] Program that has become renowned as an award winning educational program in South Africa. The founder of the MiniChess program, Marisa van der Merwe, who facilitated the workshop, says that, “MiniChess is aimed at children 5-9 years old as it not only makes them school ready but also helps them understand maths and science through chess at a very tender age.” She also pointed out that the program is currently employed at a number of pre-primary and primary schools in South Africa which all show great progress in terms of the children’s logic, problem solving skills, creativity, planning, concentration, reading and emotional maturity. “The MiniChess program was developed over years of teaching chess to “entry phase” learners (5 to 9 years of age) as part of the school curriculum. It has already been used on a trial basis, with great success, at a number of schools in SA,” she explains.

The program would ideally fit into Namibian pre-schools and elementary schools as it is organized into structured lessons, with detailed lesson plans in the Teacher's Manuals and attractive Project Books for the learners. Marisa demonstrated that the program uses tried and tested methods for teaching chess to little ones, including the use of so-called "MiniChess" games.

Public Relations Officer of NCF, McLean Handjaba, was most pleased with the program and hints that should the program find home in Namibia, the whole nation as a whole will benefit for generations to come as it aims at educating the very core and life of our country and that is the children. Also fascinated by the program was Development Officer, Charles Eichab, who says that the program is very beneficial as, “the learning process is broken down into small steps, building confidence while keeping it fun, and is in line with the skills level of the young child at that specific age, e.g. Colouring, cutting and pasting, form recognition, simple pattern recognition, a little bit of writing, etc. in the case of 6 year olds (grade 1). In addition it consists of 4 levels, with each level accommodating the continual development of skills and capacity as the child grows.”

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[1] Find more info about the program online. Simply visit www.minichess.co.za

Clubs/academies and individuals currently registered with the federation...

The NCF is busy with its membership drive with the aim of generating much-needed income as well as creating an extensive database of clubs, academies, schools, players, trainers, arbiters and organizers.

To date the following clubs have registered with the NCF:

Gunter Husselman **
Indomitable Knights **
Pro-Ed Academy
Concordia Chess Club 
Capablanca Chess Club **
Zandell Chess Academy **
The Weekend Chess Academy **
Unam Chess Club **
Unam Khomasdal Campus Chess Club **
Herero Mall Chess Club **
Poly U-Knighted **
Poly Rookers **
Police Chess Club **
Grand Monsters **
Queens United **
Jan Mohr Chess Club **



And the following individuals have registered with the NCF:

Rauha Shipindo
Leonard Nghifikwa
McLean Handjaba
Otto Nakapunda 
Thomas Ehrich
Sanders Oberholzer
Richard Nyatoti
Charlse Eichab
Fremantle Kauhanga
Milton Augumeb 
Goodwill T. Khoa
Edmund Gariseb


** These Clubs have indicated their willingness to take part in the 2014 Premier Chess League.



NB: Registration is an ongoing process and interested parties can email pro@namibiachessfederation.com or call 081-4006467 to get the registration forms as well the NCF banking details.

Also note that at the first-ever National Chess Council Meeting held last October, the agreed annual fee structure reads as follow: Clubs (including schools and academies) pay N$ 500, individual adult members pay N$ 120 with individual scholars set to pay N$ 60. Non-members will pay double the registration fee at all NCF - sanctioned tournaments.