ALTHOUGH she’s only nine, Thoriso Mohale is already a chess champion.
The little girl’s most recent victory was when she came second in the under 10 Curro Chess Championship.
Thoriso from De Deur near Vereeniging, Vaal, said she practised against her siblings, older relatives, teenagers and local taxi drivers to keep her game sharp.
Her mum Lindiwe told Daily Sun Thoriso came second after narrowly losing in a tie breaker. She said she defeated five strong contenders from different provinces.
The grade 3 pupil started playing chess when she was only seven and has grown from strength to strength since them. Last year she came first in the South Africa Curro under eight chess championship.
Lindiwe said: “It all began with a chess app we downloaded to her phone. She showed great interest and used the app for training and tutorials until we got her a coach. She has a great level of concentration. Whenever she plays against an opponent, she doesn’t move her eyes away from the game. When it’s her turn, she makes a strategic move. Her brain is incredible. She is a very smart kid.”
Lindiwe said she hoped Thoriso’s success would inspire other kids in the area as there were not many opportunities for her to play as their area was surrounded by farms.
She said Thoriso was not only good at chess, but also excelled in her school work. She said her daughter always did well in maths and had received a number of academic medals. She said she was working on registering Thoriso for the South African Junior Chess Championship.
