Namibia’s chess champ heads to World Cup
Aiming for the top
Dante Beukes, who has achieved the global ranking of International Master (IM), is preparing to represent Namibia at the Chess World Cup, where he will play against the best of the best.
Namibia's top chess player, International Master (IM) Dante Beukes, has achieved the prestigious second-highest rank in the world of international chess.
The IM title is an internationally recognised accolade bestowed upon exceptionally skilled chess players by the international chess governing body FIDE.
Beukes said he learned to play chess at the tender age of seven.
"I already consider myself a professional player, or at least semi-professional,” he said.
“Even though I am at university, chess is still more important to me. I was awarded the International Master title after winning the 2019 African Youth Championship in Windhoek."
Taking Namibia to the Chess World Cup
Beukes will represent Namibia at the upcoming Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 29 July to 24 August. He said it is a knockout tournament that will feature top chess players from around the globe.
"There will be 206 participants from about 50 countries partaking in the event."
Beukes said that "due to Namibia’s performance at the 2022 Chess Olympiad (our best to date), we were awarded a spot in this year’s World Cup, which is a part of the World Championship cycle. It is a first for me and Namibia, so I am looking forward to it."
Ahead of the event, Beukes plans to prepare specifically for his opponent once the draw is released.
"I do not know who I will be playing yet, so I am merely working on chess in general. However, one thing that is different is that I have started working with a sports psychologist. I wouldn't say that this is specifically with the World Cup in mind. I believe it will be useful for my career."
Beukes left the country on Tuesday for Serbia to participate in three preparatory events ahead of the World Cup in Baku. "These tournaments will allow me to test myself against stronger players, and I hope to perform well in them!"
World Cup journalist
Beukes was once a journalist for the Chess World Cup.
"I regularly contributed to a chess media outlet called Africa Chess Media. We thought it would be a good idea to report on the African players at the event."
This, he said, was in 2021, shortly before he was awarded a chess scholarship.
He did not physically attend the event, which was held in Sochi, Russia. He followed the championship event online and wrote reports and his analysis of the chess games. "The whole experience was very rewarding to me, and I learned a lot during that period."
Pursuing chess in the States
Around 2021, Beukes struggled to find tournaments that would help grow his chess career.
"In Africa, it tends to become difficult to improve chess skills after a certain point," he said. He then wrote to several universities in the United States that offer competitive chess programmes.
In July 2021, he received a scholarship from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. He left for Brownsville, Texas, three weeks later. "At my level, if you want to be a serious player, you are forced to look beyond Africa to go further.
"I thank God for this opportunity because it allows me to compete against players who are much stronger than me." He said the application process was surprisingly smooth, and that he looks forward to starting his third year this upcoming ‘fall’ semester.
Proud moments
Beukes has achieved a myriad of accomplishments.
He said that they are all dear to him and were influential in the development of his career.
Some of these are being a three-time Namibian Chess Champion, including being the youngest national champion at 14; multiple youth championships (2019 African Youth Champion in U/18; 2016 Africa Schools Champion in U/13); being seventh at the 2022 Africa Individual Championship; joint first at the 2022 South Africa (SA) Open; and being a multiple Chess Olympian for Namibia.
Becoming a chess master
"Winning the Africa Youth Championship was the most special for me because I won the event on home soil, becoming the first Namibian to achieve the international master title. However, the achievement I am most proud of is coming joint first at the 2022 SA Open in Cape Town."
He said it is one of the most prestigious chess events on the continent, and to come joint first in such a major event is a huge statement. "My games in that event were, in my opinion, of high chess and aesthetic quality. I thus rate it higher than other results I have achieved."
The IM title is an internationally recognised accolade bestowed upon exceptionally skilled chess players by the international chess governing body FIDE.
Beukes said he learned to play chess at the tender age of seven.
"I already consider myself a professional player, or at least semi-professional,” he said.
“Even though I am at university, chess is still more important to me. I was awarded the International Master title after winning the 2019 African Youth Championship in Windhoek."
Taking Namibia to the Chess World Cup
Beukes will represent Namibia at the upcoming Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 29 July to 24 August. He said it is a knockout tournament that will feature top chess players from around the globe.
"There will be 206 participants from about 50 countries partaking in the event."
Beukes said that "due to Namibia’s performance at the 2022 Chess Olympiad (our best to date), we were awarded a spot in this year’s World Cup, which is a part of the World Championship cycle. It is a first for me and Namibia, so I am looking forward to it."
Ahead of the event, Beukes plans to prepare specifically for his opponent once the draw is released.
"I do not know who I will be playing yet, so I am merely working on chess in general. However, one thing that is different is that I have started working with a sports psychologist. I wouldn't say that this is specifically with the World Cup in mind. I believe it will be useful for my career."
Beukes left the country on Tuesday for Serbia to participate in three preparatory events ahead of the World Cup in Baku. "These tournaments will allow me to test myself against stronger players, and I hope to perform well in them!"
World Cup journalist
Beukes was once a journalist for the Chess World Cup.
"I regularly contributed to a chess media outlet called Africa Chess Media. We thought it would be a good idea to report on the African players at the event."
This, he said, was in 2021, shortly before he was awarded a chess scholarship.
He did not physically attend the event, which was held in Sochi, Russia. He followed the championship event online and wrote reports and his analysis of the chess games. "The whole experience was very rewarding to me, and I learned a lot during that period."
Pursuing chess in the States
Around 2021, Beukes struggled to find tournaments that would help grow his chess career.
"In Africa, it tends to become difficult to improve chess skills after a certain point," he said. He then wrote to several universities in the United States that offer competitive chess programmes.
In July 2021, he received a scholarship from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. He left for Brownsville, Texas, three weeks later. "At my level, if you want to be a serious player, you are forced to look beyond Africa to go further.
"I thank God for this opportunity because it allows me to compete against players who are much stronger than me." He said the application process was surprisingly smooth, and that he looks forward to starting his third year this upcoming ‘fall’ semester.
Proud moments
Beukes has achieved a myriad of accomplishments.
He said that they are all dear to him and were influential in the development of his career.
Some of these are being a three-time Namibian Chess Champion, including being the youngest national champion at 14; multiple youth championships (2019 African Youth Champion in U/18; 2016 Africa Schools Champion in U/13); being seventh at the 2022 Africa Individual Championship; joint first at the 2022 South Africa (SA) Open; and being a multiple Chess Olympian for Namibia.
Becoming a chess master
"Winning the Africa Youth Championship was the most special for me because I won the event on home soil, becoming the first Namibian to achieve the international master title. However, the achievement I am most proud of is coming joint first at the 2022 SA Open in Cape Town."
He said it is one of the most prestigious chess events on the continent, and to come joint first in such a major event is a huge statement. "My games in that event were, in my opinion, of high chess and aesthetic quality. I thus rate it higher than other results I have achieved."
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