MINERVA Risk Advisors and the Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) honoured Chikurubi Maximum Prison’s inmate chess team for their outstanding victory at the 2025 continental championships at a ceremony at the maximum facility on Friday.
Amidst the stark concrete and high walls of Chikurubi Maximum Prison, the Zimbabwe inmate chess team have quietly become kings and queens of the African continent.
The inmate chess team has achieved a stunning feat, they secured the top spot in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the recent African Continent Championship for Prisoners.
Furthermore, the men’s team proved their strength on the international arena, checkmating their way to a formidable 4th place in the online Intercontinental Championship.
To honour these inmates who have found freedom on the sixty-four squares, Minerva presented the team with food hampers and, significantly, official Zimbabwe national chess team regalia. It was a symbolic move that told the inmates they were national representatives.
Lydia Tanyanyiwa, the Chief Executive Officer of Minerva Risk Advisors, represented her company, the sponsors. Minerva has been sponsoring chess in prisons since 2021, a move she describes as a personal passion rather than just corporate duty.
“We are proud to support these talented individuals and will continue to sponsor Chess in Prisons tournaments,” Tanyanyiwa said.
Breaking away from the usual corporate script, Tanyanyiwa spoke directly to the humanity of the inmates.
“We recognise that the correctional services and inmates are generally overlooked. Most corporations go for football or other causes,” she noted.
“But as an individual, I consider inmates. It could be my own children, it could be my brother, it could be my sister, it could be anyone in those circumstances, we don’t judge.”
She appealed to fellow business leaders, noting that the team needs four high-speed laptops to compete effectively online.
“If five corporations put in $2,000 each, we already have $10,000. That will go a long way in equipping the chess team behind the walls,” Tanyanyiwa said.
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has embraced chess as a vital rehabilitation tool.
In a stirring speech, Harare Metropolitan Province Deputy Officer Commanding Assistant Commissioner Alexious Chacha highlighted the mental shift the game provides.
“Today, we are not merely recognising chess players,” Assistant Commissioner Chacha observed.
“We are recognising individuals who chose strategy over impulse, patience over reaction, and discipline over disorder.”
He reminded the gathering that this success was not an overnight fluke. In 2021, Zimbabwe won a silver medal in the first-ever Online Intercontinental Championship, putting the ZPCS firmly on the international chess map.
“This continued partnership sends a powerful message: rehabilitation is a collective responsibility, and excellence deserves recognition,” the Assistant Commissioner added.
Todd Mapingire, President of the Zimbabwe Chess Federation, offered a poignant reminder of how thin the line is between those “inside” and those “outside.”
“One day you may just bump into someone and find yourself behind bars,” Mapingire reflected.
“But as ZCF, we are trying to show that everyone is important to the game of chess. Today they are behind bars, tomorrow they are outside.”
Mapingire praised the integration efforts, revealing that former inmates who honed their skills in prison are now mingling and competing in open tournaments after their release.
“We are excited because when they are inside, they have more time to practice. The game has a lot of discipline. It is actually assisting them to maintain good order.”
For the players themselves, the recognition was a validation of their hard work and a boost to their dignity.
Leroy, a member of the inmate team, spoke briefly but powerfully about the impact of the donation and the sport.
“We are happy with what Minerva, ZCF and ZPCS did, and we really appreciate it,” Leroy said.
“Chess has helped my teammates and me in terms of discipline because we are applying what we do when playing chess in our day-to-day lives here inside prison walls.”
