High schools’ chess rivalry resumes

SEBONGILE MATHE

MASERU – The 2025 National High School Chess Championships and finals will continue on March 22 and 29 at Leqele High School in Maseru. Participants from high schools in Maseru and neighboring areas are anticipated to compete in this prestigious event.

The tournament began on March 8, featuring qualifying rounds held in three regions of Mohale’s Hoek, Leribe, and Botha-Bothe. In Mohale’s Hoek, St Stephen’s, St Patrick’s and Likuena high schools emerged as qualifiers. The Leribe region saw qualification from Holy Family, Maputsoe Community, Leribe English Medium, St Boniface, and Fobane High School.

Similarly, the Botha-Bothe qualifiers produced Seeiso, Soofia International, Botha-Bothe Community, St Cyprian’s, Likileng English Medium and Qalo High Schools.

Selatela Khiba, Public Relations Officer for the Lesotho Chess Federation, outlined the goals of the tournament, indicating the primary objective being the promotion of chess among students, fostering participation and interest in the game.

Beyond this, the tournament aims to identify and develop young talent, providing a platform for promising players to showcase their skills and potentially progress to more advance competitions.

Khiba also highlighted the benefits of chess, emphasizing its role in enhancing critical thinking, concentration, and decision making abilities, all of which can positively influence students’ academic performance.

Furthermore, the tournament seeks to create networking opportunities and potentially open doors to scholarships for outstanding players.

He stressed the tournament’s importance in promoting national and international representation, with the hope that successful participants will represent the country in the international chess events, elevating the country’s profile on the globe stage.

Khiba further emphasized the tournament’s role as a crucial stepping stone for Lesotho’s chess aspirations. He highlighted the precedent of past winners representing the nation in international competitions, specifically citing the World High School Chess Championships in Kazakhstan.

While acknowledging uncertainty about future international opportunities, Khiba stated a commitment to selecting this year’s winners should the opportunity arise. He also emphasized the tournament’s contribution to building a strong national team by identifying and nurturing talented players.

Finally, he confirmed the availability of standard prizes for top performers in the tournament, they will receive gold, silver, and bronze medals, with additional math calculators awarded to the participants, and underscored the long-term strategy of fostering chess development through consistent youth engagement, noting that students currently participating will be ready to compete at higher levels in the future.