Local chess players Thuto Mpene and Women FIDE Master (WFM) Natalie Banda have booked themselves a spot at the Africa Junior Chess Championships, which will be held in Cape Verde in September 2025.
Mpene and Banda earned their spot at the Africa Junior Chess Championships after being crowned the champions of the Botswana Chess Federation Junior Chess Championships which were held at University of Botswana Campus in Gaborone on from the 12th -13th July 2025.
The duo attained 6.5 points out of seven rounds played at the championships, walking away with trophies, gold medals and price monies. The competition which was organised by Botswana Chess Federation was divided into open section and girls categories. It was open to chess athletes under 21 years and used as a platform to select athletes who will represent the country at this year’s Africa Junior Chess Championship.
In the Open section, Raymond Maretlwaneng took the second spot while Moses Mananga took the third position. In the ladies section Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Amolemo Mosweu walked away with a silver medal while Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Laone Moshoboro took third position.
In an interview, Botswana Chess Federation Public Relations Officer Goitsemodimo Makgatle said that going forward the federation will focus on training programs to prepare the top-performing juniors for upcoming regional and international competitions.
She stated that the training program will focus on training camps, intensive coaching sessions with qualified trainers. Makgatle noted that they will also organise friendly games with stronger opponents to build competitive resilience. She also pointed that they will be hosting more junior rated events to help improve player rankings and sharpen their skills.
‘‘Mpene and Banda are the only two players who have qualified for the Africa Junior Chess Championships, we were given three slots per category being open and girls, but due to budgetary constraints we could only afford two,’’ she said.
The African Junior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament open to players in Africa who are under 20 years of age.
The winners of the open and girls’ championships earn the right to participate at the World Junior Chess Championships. In the open championship, the top three players after tiebreaks all earn the International Master title, while the first-placed player additionally earns a norm towards the Grandmaster title.
In the girls’ championship, the top three players after tiebreaks all earn the Woman International Master title, while the first-placed player additionally earns a norm towards the Woman Grandmaster title.
