Jamie Nicole Beukes from Namibia, Jadon Simiyu and Elizabeth Cassidy from Kenya who are all in our Chess 2 Change program managed to qualify for the African Individual Championships in Botswana even thou they are still barely in their teenage years. Jamie Nicole started strong with 2 out of 3 against very strong opposition but then she fell back in the field and ended up as number 35. Still she was able to bring home 29 new elo points back to Namibia. The reigning Kenyan Champion 13-year old Jadon Simiyu managed to beat his first ever IM when he won against IM Saad Belouadah in round 3, then he lost 3 games in a row against tough opposition before he was able to win two games and finish on 4,5 out of 9. That placed him as number 29 in Africa which is a fantastic achievement considering that he is only 13 years old.
Elizabeth Cassidy also played her first African Championships on senior level. It could not be seen in the start since she started very well and was fighting in the top until the end, but 3 straight losses in the last three rounds destroyed her chances to get a medal. All three children returned safely home, filled with joy and experiences that will be very beneficial for their chess careers.
