FIVE talented young chessplayers from Cheziya High School, Zimbabwe, were forced to sit out the 2023 World School Team Chess Championships in Aktau, Kazakhstan, due to unforeseen logistical challenges.
Their journey was thwarted due to an array of logistical challenges, despite fervent efforts from multiple chess federations.
This prestigious tournament, running from August 4th to the 8th, has gathered over 400 young chess enthusiasts from 53 countries, competing in two age categories. The students were primed to make their mark on this international stage, but unfortunately, travel complications stood in their way.
The Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) was enthusiastic about ensuring the safe and timely travel of the students to the global competition. Secretary-General Todd Mapingire revealed that ZCF worked tirelessly in collaboration with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation to arrange the students’ journey. However, the logistics of the connecting flights from the port of arrival to Aktau proved challenging due to limited and unpredictable scheduling.
“We have been working with FIDE to try and ensure the safe travel of these five students. FIDE was willing to have them go there and play even one round as it was good for them emotionally,” explained the ZCF Secretary General. “Travel by train was deemed unfeasible as it was neither safe nor timely, taking approximately two days.”
Passport issues for the Gokwe-based students also added to the list of complications. “FIDE requires us to upload all passports for the participating individuals before they issue the travel grant. There was a delay before all the passports were available, causing us to miss the July 3rd deadline for submission. However, FIDE showed considerable patience with us,” added Mapingire.
To salvage the situation, FIDE has suggested that ZCF nominate an alternative tournament for the students. Potential locations mentioned include Egypt and Mexico, with ongoing discussions to determine the best fit.
In the face of adversity, ZCF remains optimistic, extending gratitude to the corporate bodies supporting the students’ lifelong dream to compete on the global chess stage. While their journey to Kazakhstan has been impeded, the flame of the Gokwe-based Chess Team’s ambition remains unquenched.
