BY PORCHÉ-LEE OBARAY
Clarendon Preparatory School Grade 2 pupil Viha Beecum has proven to be quite the little whizzkid at chess.
Picture: KINGDOM EVENTS
Beecum recently represented Buffalo City for the first time at the 2019 South African Junior Chess Championships (SAJCC) held in Johannesburg from January 4 to 8, where she went up against 2,300 of SA’s top chess players.
She played as part of the Border Under 10A team in the junior inter-regional competition, on board eight, taking the prize for the most wins on that specific board.
After seven rounds, Beecum finished with six wins and one draw, leaving her with a total of 6.5 out of 7 points.
Following the team event, she went on to play in the individual Wild Card event, where she scored herself another 3.5 out of 7 points, finishing in the top half of players in that event.
According to chess-results.com, the individual rating averages for the Buffalo City U10A members after seven rounds of the team competition, were as follows:
- Samuel Chang (Stirling) – 1048
- Gary Driffield (Stirling) – 999
- Tyler Botha (Selborne) – 913
- Aldré Deang (Hudson Park) – 896
- Emma Obaray (Clarendon) – 807
- Isiphile Mabongo (Hudson Park) – 707
- Elih Prinsloo (Selborne) – 701
- Beecum (Clarendon) – 695
- Rebecca Scheckter (Clarendon) – 700
