RIP Nelson Mandela: Of Chess Set Mandela gave Queen Elizabeth!
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
We are reminded of two Chess Blog posts from the archives as we pay tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999
Chess Set from Africa
Chess Blog picked this from The New York Times: During a state visit to Britain, in 2010, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa went to Buckingham Palace, where there was an exhibition of items from his country. During the tour, Queen Elizabeth II showed President Zuma a chess set that Nelson Mandela gave her in 1996. The pieces appear to be African tribesman.
Zuma and Mandela chess solace in prison
This Chess Blog post we picked up when South African President Jacob Zuma, earlier this year, praised Indian chess player Abhijit Gupta for winning the Commonwealth Championships in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Zuma, said in his speech, he had learned to play chess while imprisoned on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela.
“Chess provided a solace to us that we needed in those conditions of isolation and deprivation. It propelled our minds beyond the confines of the prison walls and allowed us to reflect and to position our thoughts strategically to fight the (apartheid) regime,” Zuma said as he explained how prisoners had made chess sets out of soap and driftwood.
RIP Nelson Mandela - the one and only there ever was.
Labels: jacob zuma, nelson mandela, queen elizabeth
President Jacob Zuma Quotes on Chess
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
South African President Jacob Zuma has lauded Indian chess player Abhijit Gupta for winning the Commonwealth Championships in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape Province of the country. For a report on the event read this Chess Blog post. Here are some nice Jacob Zuma quotes on chess from the event:
Zuma earlier drew a game after 20 minutes against the youngest player in the championships, five-year-old Keagan Rowe from East London in South Africa, later saying he had sacrificed some pieces “to balance the game.”
Zuma learnt to play chess while imprisoned on Robben Island alongside former president Nelson Mandela.
“Chess provided a solace to us that we needed in those conditions of isolation and deprivation. It propelled our minds beyond the confines of the prison walls and allowed us to reflect and to position our thoughts strategically to fight the (apartheid) regime,” Zuma said as he explained how prisoners had made chess sets out of soap and driftwood.
Zuma also called for chess to be encouraged as a serious sport in schools.
“(Chess) promotes latent skills among the children, patience, quick wit, decisiveness and confidence arising from competition with counterparts, including those from outside the country,” he said.
He also said: As a country we will also count on the LOC’s commitment to supporting chess development programmes in underprivileged communities.
"We are hopeful that our collective efforts will advance chess a great deal in this country. South Africa is the custodian of chess in the country. They have brought great pride to this country and in the last All African Games they brought back ten medals."
"I have also been informed that a young lady from these parts Ms Charlize van Zyl has been beating her opponents handsomely and won a strong event in Botswana and has become a women international master. The story of Charlize must serve as an inspiration to all the juniors here."
You can succeed if you have the commitment, dedication and passion. If you do not do well in athletic sports, chess can provide an interesting area as well. Please get involved and encourage others.
Please travel safely and to all of you that competed here, I want you to know that you are all winners.
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Labels: abhijeet gupta, chess quotes, commonwealth chess championship 2013, jacob zuma
President Jacob Zuma Attends JZ Chess Open - Chess Video
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,
It's great to know when leaders around the world promote chess because chess is part of our collective legacy for the next generation. We found this nice video of President Jacob Zuma attending the JZ Chess Open at Nkandla on December 22, 2012. We hope more leaders around the world keep the chess flag flying high.
Labels: chess africa, Chess video, jacob zuma, jz chess open
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