Dante Beukes becomes an International Master!

The Champ IM Dante in the middle flanked by his 

Opponents and Parents

The AYCC 2019 was an event that most of Namibia were looking forward to. Many youngsters had aspirations to become chess masters or end up on the podium. There was one young man who was poised to win gold and an International Master Title.

In round 6 he had probably his most difficult match, but he remained focused on the ultimate prize the tournament can offer and bounced back. Dante was awarded his gold medal, trophies and the International Master Title in a very rapturous, explosive,  ceremony. He was congratulated with thunderous applause by an elation filled crowd. Namibia has definitely competed in his section. To make it more rewarding he played in a section higher than his age group. Here is how it was described on the AYCC 2019 facebook page.

“It was surreal! Spontaneous, rapturous and sustained applause sent chills through the very crowd from which it erupted, unable to restrain themselves!

The celebration started well before and indeed continued all throughout the announcement of Namibia's own Dante Beukes' achievements at the 2019 AYCC.

Namibia might only have won one of the available 36 medals, but Dante ensured it was the most valuable one of all!
Eligible to play in Under 16, he played a level up, winning gold for a 1st place finish in the Under 18 Open section, and now the chess player formerly known as a Fide Master is officially Namibia's first-ever International Master!

What's more, with his ELO rating being high enough, he was awarded the Direct Title!

Congratulations IM Dante Matthew Beukes”

Dante during the AYCC 2019

Dante is on a mission and he will achieve his objectives. We are looking forward to what else this young lad will achieve.  You make us proud Dante and definitely inspires us all to be better at this beautiful game chess. I wish you the greatest of success with your chess career, IM Dante Beukes.

TWCA Students performed superb at the Namibia Junior Closed Chess Champs 2019

Chess can be a demanding and brutal game. It demands time and effort from its practitioners. It is not a 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year affair. It is a life time commitment. For the new ones it can be overwhelming, but for the veterans it is a blast.

This past weekend was no exception when young scholars from u8-u20 boys and girls tackled each other to showcase their brilliance at the chess board. Mommies, Daddies, Aunties, Uncles, Teachers and Coaches all were there to bear witness and support the best of Namibian youngsters. This event also served as the qualifier for the AYCC 2019 which will be held in Namibia in December at the Safari Court Hotel in Windhoek. The journey for the youngsters to African greatness started this weekend.

All the medal winners with Coach Max

TWCA fielded 14 players and 11 won medals. 6 gold and 5 silver medals:

For the Boys we had:

Boys - u8 Mikhail Mouton who ended 6th overall.

Boys - u12 Daniel Mouton who won a Silver medal.

Boys - u16 Aldo Horn who end 8th overall.

Boys - u18 FM Dante Beukes who won a Gold medal.

Boys - u20 NM Philip Mootseng who won a Gold medal. Philip was awarded the National Master title at this years event.

Daniel, Alexander & Tristan

For the Girls we had:

Girls - u8 Hannah Mouton (only 5 years) who won a Gold medal.

Girls - u8 Isabella Mouton who won a Silver Medal

Girls - u8 Gabriella Mouton who ended 5th overall.

Girls - u12 WCM Jamie-Nicole Beukes who won a Gold medal.

Girls - u14 Lure Horn who won a Silver medal.

Girls - u16 Keisha Van Wyk who won a Gold medal.

Girls - u18 Caro Horn who won a Gold medal.

Girls - u18 Patience Tsuses who won a Silver medal.

Congratulations to all the TWCA Students. You performed excellent. Thank you to our Parents, Coaches and Donors for your continued support.

TWCA students crowned as Namibian Champions

20-24 March 2019, was the date Namibians could not miss. Or at least not the chess community. During this time 4 TWCA Students won 4 gold medals at the 2019 Namibia National Chess Championships.

16 year old, FM Dante Beukes won the Open Section clear first with 7.5/9 and was awarded with a gold medal and crowned Namibian Champion for a second time. WCM Nicola won the Women's Section clear first with 4/5 and was awarded with a gold medal and crowned Namibia's Women's Champion for a 4th time.

A former student and Coach of TWCA. Goodwill Khoa also won the B-Section with a score of 7.5/8 and was awarded with a gold medal too. WCM Jamie-Nicole won the Women's section of the B-Section and was awarded with a gold medal too. She scored and impressive 4.5/8 and placed 5th overall. This was no easy feat as she left many adult male players in the dust at only 10 years of age. 

A heartily congratulations to our 4 stars and a big thank you to our parents and donors. Thank you for your support.