‘We're raising sports stars!'

MOST SPORTING CHAMPIONS STARTED THEIR JOURNEYS LONG BEFORE THEY KNEW HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY WOULD BECOME . THESE MOMS TELL US WHAT IT’S LIKE RAISING THEIR OWN LITTLE PRODIGIES

- NOLWAZI DHALAMINI

Inspired by the movie Queen of Katwe starring Academy award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, where she plays a young Ugandan girl whose life changes after she learns to play chess, Ofentse joined the school’s chess club in 2018. A year later, the eight-year-old had already earned her place in the Commonwealth Chess Championships in India and the World Cadet Chess Championships in China, both held in 2019. This made her the first chess player from her school, Charterhouse Primary, to be selected to represent South Africa in the China competition.‘In China, where she was nominated as captain of the U8 team, she won three games and drew one. In the same year, she won all her games at the Inter Regional Chess Tournament and won four out of five games at the Joburg Open Chess Tournament. She also qualified for the Joburg Metro U10 girls A-team, which played at the South African Junior Chess Championships.

‘We’re really proud of Ofentse’s performance and achievements. She’s surprised us as her family, as well as her coach,’ says proud mom Lorato.

But Ofentse didn’t stop there; she went on to give a stellar performance at the African Youth Chess Championships in Namibia, where she won six out of nine games.

‘Ofentse has shown us she has what it takes to reach her dream of attaining the Women Grandmaster (WGM) title one day – the highest ranking for women’s chess.

Ofentse’s dad and siblings also play chess, although as a hobby, so it really came as a surprise when we discovered her hidden talent. She caught us all off-guard, including her coach of only one year, Alessandro Parodi. He says she’s surpassed expectations, even his own, and boasts about her being his first student ever to qualify at such esteemed levels,’ says Lorato.