Hailey Nel from Tuks would likely agree. One of the main reasons the 20-year-old Computer Science student loves chess is the challenge it brings.
“Every game is different. You face new problems each time. That is kinda cool.”
Judging solely by her results this year, Nel appears to have all but perfected the art of finding strategic solutions during play. Earlier this year, at the African Championships in Botswana, she finished fourth in the women’s competition. More importantly, she has established herself as Africa’s leading U20 player. She was the women’s winner at the CUCSA Games, which also took place in Botswana. Nel also finished third at the South African Senior Championships.
Another highlight was being part of the Tuks team that competed in the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship; Tuks was the only team representing Africa. Furthermore, Nel was a member of the South African team that competed at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
She inherited her love for chess from her father. She still remembers playing chess with him as a young girl.
“Initially, I viewed chess as just another board game. It wasn’t until primary school that I realised chess is a sport.”
At the end of this month, Tuks will participate in the USSA Chess Championships in Kimberley. Last year, they finished fourth, and Nel is confident that the team will perform better this time around. Seven of last year’s players are back.
What is the secret to playing good chess?
“For me, it is important to work daily on improving my chess tactics. We call it being chess-fit. I also believe in playing long games online or competing in a smaller tournament before a major event.”
According to Nel, physical fitness can also be an asset when playing chess. She can vouch for it.
“While in high school, there was a time it felt like I was in a rut when it came to playing chess. It felt like I reached a plateau. But then I started to run three times a week. All of a sudden, I noticed a huge improvement in my chess.”
Every good chess player has a story to tell about sitting for hours staring at the board while playing. Nel is no exception.
“If I had to guess, I would say the longest game I ever played lasted six and a half hours. Roughly, I would say I made about 80 moves.
“Most tournaments in South Africa are played on a Saturday. At times, it boils down to playing 10 hours of chess-five games. My parents usually drop me off and then go do their thing. I keep being amazed at what they managed to achieve in those ten hours I sat staring at a chessboard.”
Nel admits that playing for such a long stretch of time does take its toll.
“There were Sundays when I was emotionally and physically drained. It felt like I could sleep for three days on end. But as a student, there is no respite. On one such Sunday, I had an assignment due Monday. As tired as I was, I did it anyway.”
