CAPE TOWN HERITAGE CHESS FESTIVAL 20 – 26 MARCH 2017 COMMEMORATIVE BOOKLET CONTENTS Page Introduction 3 Foreword by David Gluckman 4 Festival Programme 5 Memories of a Chess Career by Elan Rabinowitz 7 Elite Section Tournament Report by Mark Rubery 10 IM Watu Kobese Simultaneous Exhibition 20 Official Dinner at Posticino Restaurant 21 Dr Lyndon Bouah’s Keynote Address 22 Leonard Reitstein Lecture of SA Chess History 25 Memories of the Cape Town Chess Scene in the 1980s by David Gluckman 27 Memories of Growing Up in the Soweto Chess Scene and my Father by Watu Kobese 29 Reflections on the 1990s by Dr Lyndon Bouah 30 A Memoir of SA Chess History in the Latter Part of the 20th Century by Eddie Price 37 Tournament Results 41 Closing Ceremony 42 Elite Section Game Scores 44 Cape Town Chess Club 1885 – 1985 Centenary Festival Brochure 48 Cape Town Chess Club 1885 – 1985 Centenary Crossword 57 The battle of the women international masters – Anzel Laubscher v Khadidja Latreche Steel Cover photo: The Festival tournament winners namely Daud Amini (Blitz), Dione Goredema (Youth), IM Watu Kobese (Elite), WIM Khadidja Latreche Steel (Ladies), Mark Lewis (Seniors) accompanied by Dr Lyndon Bouah 2 INTRODUCTION Cape Town Chess Club (established 1885) is the oldest chess club in South Africa and the second oldest in the Southern Hemisphere. The Club has been the leader in chess activity in the Cape Town inner city and surrounding areas for the 131 years of its existence. The Club hosted the Cape Town Heritage Chess Festival during March 2017 to celebrate: The longevity of the Club and its prominence in South African chess. 25 years since chess was unified in South Africa and South Africa readmitted to the World Chess Federation. To celebrate that the Club then played the first friendly match to signal unity against Bellville South Chess Club. To celebrate that two Club members were among the joint winners of the historic Unity Tournament held at the time. To commemorate the life and service of our immediate Past President of 20 years, the late Elan Rabinowitz. To pay tribute to our Lifetime Honorary Member, Leonard Reitstein, as he approaches his 90th birthday. Seniors Rapid participants Front row – Istvan Gyongy, Benny Levin and Grahame Pearson all representing Cape Town Chess Club Back row – Andrew Southey, Mark Lewis and Stephen Galleid 3 FOREWORD South Africa and Cape Town both have a rich chess heritage. Sometimes it is important to celebrate and commemorate that heritage. Most local tournaments will be forgotten in time, but I suspect the Cape Town Heritage Chess Festival 2017 will be remembered as one of those most important occasions in South African and Cape Town chess history. The Festival also affords us the opportunity to reflect on the past and commemorate that past before it is too late. This commemorative booklet hopefully captures some of that history – particularly around the unity process of the early 1990s that resulted in the formation of Chessa and South Africa’s re- admittance to international chess. There might well be many differing recollections of this history. It is not my place to comment on or amend the various authors’ recollections. Rather I have tried to include a few different perspectives (whether politically correct or otherwise) so that readers themselves can form their own views on what actually transpired. There is inevitably a Cape Town bias in a production such as this, and hopefully this booklet will motivate other regions, cities and clubs to record their own histories which are all part of South Africa’s chess heritage. Cape Town Chess Club last hosted a major chess festival in 1985 when we celebrated our Club’s centenary. As far as I am aware, only two of the original brochures produced for that festival still exist. In order to preserve that important part of the Club’s heritage, we include as annexures within this 2017 commemorative booklet both that 1985 Centenary Brochure as well a crossword puzzle that was especially composed to celebrate that milestone. Our sincere gratitude to the Western Cape Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, and Dr Lyndon Bouah in particular, without whom this Festival would not have taken place. I hope readers enjoy this commemorative booklet and it inspires future generations to serve South African chess well. David Gluckman President Cape Town Chess Club April 2017 4 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME Elite Section http://www.chess-results.com/tnr268515.aspx?lan=1&art=2&wi=821 Round 1 at 18h00 on Monday 20 March Round 2 at 09h00 on Tuesday 21 March Round 3 at 15h00 on Tuesday 21 March Round 4 at 18h00 on Friday 24 March Round 5 at 18h00 on Saturday 25 March Round 6 at 09h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 7 at 15h00 on Sunday 26 March Seniors Rapid http://www.chess-results.com/tnr268908.aspx?lan=1&art=2&wi=821 Round 1 at 19h30 on Monday 20 March Round 2 at 20h30 on Monday 20 March Round 3 at 15h30 on Tuesday 21 March Round 4 at 16h30 on Tuesday 21 March Round 5 at 17h30 on Tuesday 21 March Ladies & Youth Rapid http://www.chess-results.com/tnr269447.aspx?lan=1&art=2&wi=821 - Round 1 at 10h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 2 at 11h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 3 at 12h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 4 at 14h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 5 at 15h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 6 at 16h00 on Sunday 26 March Round 7 at 17h00 on Sunday 26 March Simultaneous Exhibition by IM Watu Kobese 20h00 on Tuesday 21 March Official dinner (by invitation only) - 19h00 on Wednesday 22 March 5 Leonard Reitstein Lecture on SA Chess History 20h00 on Thursday 23 March Primary Schools Challenge 09h00 on Sunday 26 March Blitz Tournament 12h00 on Sunday 26 March Closing Ceremony and Prize-giving 19h00 on Sunday 26 March TIME CONTROLS: Elite Section (Fide and Chessa rated) 90-90 + 30 second increments from move 1 Seniors and Ladies & Youth Rapids (Chessa rated) 15–15 + 10 second increments from move 1 Blitz Tournament 3-3 + 2 second increments from move 1 CHIEF ARBITER: Ricardo Minnaar ORGANISERS: David Gluckman (Chief Organiser) Reuben Salimu (Primary Schools Challenge & Blitz Tournament) Ilse Joubert (Finance) VENUES: Ellerton Primary School, Green Point for Monday and Tuesday activities Western Cape Bridge Centre, Green Point for Thursday to Sunday activities Checkers Centre, Sea Point for Primary Schools challenge and Blitz Tournament 6 MEMORIES OF A CHESS CAREER By Elan Rabinowitz It seems appropriate to include in this booklet this address by the late Elan Rabinowitz from when he was awarded a Legend of Western Cape Sports Award in 2014. Elan Rabinowitz 1957-2015 Neither of my parents played chess at all but my 2 older brothers played very much on a casual/social level. When I was approximately 10 years old, my oldest brother decided he wanted some variation in his opponents and taught me the moves. I learnt the moves fairly quickly but none of us took it particularly seriously. We played on a fairly basic level but quite enjoyed the game. I continued to play on this basis until 1972 when I was 15 years old and in Standard 8 (Grade 10). This was the year that the eccentric and reclusive Bobby Fischer caught the imagination of the entire chess world. It was the days of the cold war when Russia totally dominated world chess. The top 8 out of 10 players in the world were Russian and they completely dominated before Fischer, completely on his own and with virtually no meaningful assistance from anyone, rose to become probably the greatest chess player who ever lived at the time. He was challenging Russian world champion Boris Spassky for the world championship and amazingly was the favourite to win the world title. The dynamics of the situation caught the imagination of the chess world. Fischer was determined to make chess a highly respected sport and used all sorts of tactics to do so. At the time, he not only caught the imagination of top chess players worldwide but also hundreds of thousands of young players who took to the game. Even the Russians respected him greatly. I was one of them and soon devoted more time to studying chess than I did to my schoolwork. My chess improved from a fairly poor social player to a rated player playing at top schools level as well as joining the Cape Town Chess Club through the encouragement of the then Chairman of the club, Simmy Lewis (who incidentally passed away a few weeks ago). The game soon became an obsession for me and many of my contemporaries. I featured fairly well at school level as well as senior level. My playing career was not remarkable but I did win the Cape Town Chess Club Championship, Inter- schools League (twice) and came second in the WP Open Junior Championships. Chess really enriched my life at a young age and taught me many things including the value of sustained concentration, how to win and lose graciously, and how to work in a team environment. The Cape Town Chess Club was the only club in the vicinity of my home and met twice a week at that stage. I went to the club at least one of the evenings every week and sometime two. 7 In 1973 to 1974, I captained the Herzlia High School team which won the Western Province’s school league both of these years. In about 1977 I came to the realization that despite Bobby Fischer’s efforts, chess was not going to be a great way to earn a living and I gave the game up and concentrated on my studies for about 8 years until about 1985.