SWAZILAND HAS POTENTIAL – UK CHESS EXPERT

MBABANE – Despite Swaziland being lowly ranked in the chess rankings, Chess grand master Nigel Short believes the country has what it takes to compete against the best chess players.

Nigel Short, based in the United Kingdom was in a three-day tour in the country from Friday until Monday. The 47 ranked played in the world is currently on an African tour where he is equipping chess players on the sport.

He was hosted at Global Village by the Swaziland National Chess Federation (SNFC) where he took local chess players on how the game. He further played against 13 local chess players where he won all the games.

Interviewed after the games, Short said he was happy to be in the country and play against local players.
“Look, you guys have raw talent here, but it needs to be nurtured. First and foremost I believe there is a pool of good players out there.

I was disappointed with the attendance, Swaziland needs aleast over 50 active players, host tournament two times a month; they must not wait for organisations to sponsor them. The more they play, the more the sports will be promoted and automatically they will attract sponsors,” the grand master chess pundit said.

Meanwhile, SNCF President Meluleki Mdluli said they learnt a lot from his visit. “We gained alot from his visit, he played against us, he noted some mistakes we committed during the game, advised us on investing more on chess literature. He also recommended some books to read. Having an expert of his calibre was really an eye-opener and we really appreciate and we will pass  on what we have learnt to those who didn’t make it,” Mdluli said.

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