EMIHLE MBANGATHA
Tumi Balura, a 10-year-old chess talent from Buffalo City’s impoverished Fort Grey community, needs financial support to pursue her dream of becoming a national chess star.
Tumi, a pupil from Fort Grey Public School and Bhongweni Chess Club, will be representing Buffalo City at the SA Junior Closed Chess Championship 2025 in Somerset and the FIDE World Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2025 in Greece.
Tumi leaves for her competitions in late March.
Tumi was selected by Chess SA and is the second Bhongweni Chess Club member selected to compete at international level.
Her coach, Khanyiso Petse, described Tumi as a very confident young girl who believes in her abilities.
He said: “She always maintains a level head in the face of victory and defeat. Tumi enjoys solving problems head-to-head, is very talkative, and is innovative.
“She genuinely enjoys playing chess. With more support, she can really become a leader of the nation.
“Extending financial and resource support for talents like Tumi empowers women in sport and promotes women in chess globally, while also breaking stereotypes that associated the sport with affluent male competitors.”
Tumi is thrilled and proud of herself, and she sees her success as an unmissable opportunity to compete against players from other nations.
She said it never occurred to her that at such a young age, from a financially constrained background, that through chess she would be flying outside the country representing SA.
“It’s an achievement I will never forget in my life,” she said.
Tumi draws inspiration from one of her schoolmates, Azo Maseti, a grade 3 pupil who took part in the SA Junior Chess Championship last year and went on to represent SA in the African Youth Chess Championship at only six years old at the time.
To support Tumi, contact Petse at: khanyisopetse40@gmail.com or Bhongwenichessclub@gmail.com.
When asked what it means to see residents and businesses already donating, Tumi said: “May God shower more blessings in their kind hearts and on their pockets.”
