Beukes siblings rule Namibian Chess Open
International Master (IM) Dante Beukes and his younger sister Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Jamie-Nicole Beukes stepped to the fore at the Namibian Chess Open after winning the Open and women’s section crowns, respectively, in Windhoek.
Dante successfully defended his title without surrendering a single point, winning all nine of his matches to finish on a flawless 9/9, while 18-year-old Jamie-Nicole conceded only half a point on her way to an equally commanding 8.5/9.
The five-day tournament ran from Wednesday until Sunday at the University of Namibia (Unam) Main Hall, where 106 players competed for top honours across the Open, women’s, junior and cadet sections.
Dante leaves no points behind
Dante’s perfect title defence saw him navigate nine different opponents without giving away so much as half a point.
He opened his campaign against Zimbabwe’s Basil Dube before getting the better of Seychelles Candidate Master (CM) Ragul Pillay in round two.
Clarence Campbell stood across the board from him in round three, followed by Pwomene Haipinge in the fourth. Round five brought another Seychelles challenge in CM Benjamin Hoareau, before Dante overcame Xavier Amutenya in round six.
He then faced Angola’s Apolinario Antonio in round seven, Simon Shidolo in round eight and Zambia’s Sean Chembe in the ninth and final round to complete his clean sweep.
Antonio eventually claimed silver in the Open section, while Jossy Uapingene completed the podium in third.
Despite his perfect nine-from-nine run, Dante admitted the five days at the board had taken their toll.
“I feel very tired. Of course, [I am] very happy. I defended my title successfully, but really tired. This tournament took all of my energy, but I’m very happy nonetheless,” he said.
'In a very exciting period'
Dante said he was particularly encouraged by the quality of chess he produced after putting in considerable work with his coach ahead of a busy spell of competition.
“I’m actually in a very exciting period right now, where I have a couple of tournaments lined up. So I’ve been working quite hard and working with the coach. One thing that I’m really pleased with is my quality of play. I think I played extremely well,” he noted.
“Sometimes I would even go home, and I would wonder, ‘Is that me?’ But I think it’s just because I’ve been working [hard] and I’m seeing chess in a new way. I’m extremely excited for what’s coming next.”
There will, however, be little time for the defending champion to celebrate, as he is due to leave for an international tournament in Spain from 8 to 13 September, where he is expected to test himself against more than 200 players from around the world.
“We have to start working. Next week, I’m leaving for some tournaments abroad. So there’s no time to celebrate yet. Maybe in a month, when I come back, then we can celebrate. But for now, we’re just going to keep pushing.”
Jamie-Nicole completes sibling double
While Dante swept everything placed in front of him, Jamie-Nicole came within half a point of matching her older brother’s flawless run.
She began her women’s campaign by overcoming Brigithe Karuomuini in round one before beating Angola’s Renilse Antonio in the second.
Kamutuua Tjatindi was next in round three before 11-year-old Shadah Uanguta became the only player to take anything off Jamie-Nicole, holding the eventual champion to a draw in round four.
Jamie-Nicole responded by defeating Helvi Shuudifonya in round five before overcoming another member of the visiting Antonio family, Resiane Antonio, in round six.
She then got past Helen Boshoff in round seven, junior girls’ champion Twamona Kaluvi in round eight and Teresa Kasomba in the final round to close out the title with 8.5/9.
Resiane finished second in the women’s section, while Uanguta’s strong showing was enough to secure third place.
Antonio family makes its move
The Beukes siblings were not the only family to leave a sizeable imprint on the tournament. The Antonio family from Angola also turned the Namibian Chess Open into a family affair, with all four members who competed coming away with medals.
Youngest member Renildo Antonio won the cadet boys’ section, while his father Apolinario took silver behind Dante in the Open section.
His mother Resiane claimed silver in the women’s section, while his sister Renilse added another silver medal in the junior girls’ category.
Juniors and cadets make their mark
Sibusiso Angula took the junior boys’ title after scoring 6/9, with Eric Mowa finishing second and Sean Chembe completing the top three.
Twamona Kaluvi was crowned the junior girls’ champion after also scoring 6/9, with the youngster also finishing fifth overall in the 40-player women’s field. Renilse took silver among the junior girls, while Anna Moongo finished third.
In the cadet boys’ section, Renildo led the way ahead of silver medallist Francois Binnemann and third-placed James Diën.
Anastasia Nangolo emerged as the cadet girls’ champion, with Kaino Moongo taking second and Fransiska Hamukoto third.
International flavour welcomed
Namibia Chess Federation president CM Charles Eichab said the tournament had left the federation encouraged by both the turnout and the international representation.
“It went very well. We were very encouraged by the participation. I hope we can even go bigger next year,” Eichab said.
He identified the presence of visiting players as one of the tournament’s major highlights.
“We had three players come from the Seychelles, and then four from Angola and some players from Zimbabwe [and Zambia]. It really gives the tournament an international flair,” he said.
“That’s what we’re trying to achieve with this tournament, to give our local players exposure to international players and grow chess that way.”
