Frederick Cronjé (9) Ends Namibia’s Six-Year Gold Drought at African Schools Chess Championship

Frederick Cronjé (9) Ends Namibia’s Six-Year Gold Drought at African Schools Chess Championship. Namibia’s chess community is celebrating a significant achievement as nine-year-old Frederick Cronjé clinched the gold medal in the Under-9 Open section at the African Schools Individual Chess Championship, held recently in Mombasa, Kenya. This marks Namibia’s first gold medal at an African Chess Confederation event since 2019.

Representing Windhoek Afrikaans Private School, Cronjé delivered an impressive performance, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament with seven wins and two draws over nine rounds. His success contributed to Namibia’s overall fourth-place finish among participating nations, trailing behind Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

Beyond the chessboard, Cronjé enjoyed his time in Mombasa, particularly the ocean and the hotel’s water park.Cronjé credited his coach, Candidate Master (CM) Charles Eichab, for introducing him to chess and fostering his passion for the game. He also acknowledged International Master (IM) Dante Beukes for assisting in his tournament preparation.

The African Chess Confederation praised Cronjé’s victory as indicative of Namibia’s growing pool of young talent. The country’s last gold medal at an ACC event was secured by Beukes in 2019 at the African Youth Chess Championship in Windhoek.