The 90’s

Back to my chess life story.

Having finished school, I went on to study at the University of Port Elizabeth, doing Bachelor of Commerce degree. I took the scenic route as they say, taking 4 years to complete my degree after a challenging 2nd year – 1992 to 1995.

I continued to play chess at the Port Elizabeth Chess Club, where I became Treasurer and later Vice President.

The Alekhine and the Dutch were the staple of my Black opening repertoire. I played mostly e4 for White and loved the Belgrade Gambit!

There wasn’t a chess club at university when I started, but a group of fellow students set one up in my 2nd year, I think. We only played one trial tournament to select a representative ‘Tertiary Institution’ to go to a national event. I won the trial, was selected at Board 1, but due to the difficult political and security situation leading up to the first democratic elections in South Africa, this event never took place.

I was however, later selected at Board 7 for the senior provincial team to go to an Interprovincial tournament in 1995.

As mentioned earlier, South Africa was in an interesting place politically. Nelson Mandela has been released from jail after 27 years. Apartheid had, for all intents and purposes, come to an end. The first democratic elections loomed ahead in 1994. And chess in South Africa was started to become inclusive of all races. A new governing boy, Chess SA or Chessa, was formed in 1996.

In the early 1990’s, myself and another 2 or 3 White players, along with the late Monde Ngesi, a talented Black player, would go into some of the mixed race areas and play chess on the quiet, often at people’s homes. Many a good friend was made back in those days. A Saturday’s chess was usually followed by a few cold beers and a late night discreet ride home in the dark. Weird times indeed.

Towards the end of the 1990’s as I had started work, and moved out of my parents’ house, my chess playing waned a bit as I explored other areas of life!

I do remember playing on the FIDE website in the late 90’s, probably more like 2000, when it hosted a chess playing server. One memory is sitting in my brother’s flat on dial up internet, playing a guy called MikeTP from Milton Keynes in the UK. He was watching South Africa playing cricket against England on TV – the ground was next to my brother’s flat and I could hear the crowd’s cheer when a wicket fell or a boundary was scored, and MikeTP would give me an update on what had happened.