(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – The Chess Federation of Lesotho (CFL) has delivered chess equipment worth close to M45 000 to girls' schools and disability centres around the country.
The equipment is intended for the players to learn and develop in chess and the association's secretary general, Tlhoriso Morienyane, said the CFL picked marginalised social groups as the centre of their drive.
The equipment is specially designed where necessary.
The chess boards for the blind, for example, are different from normal boards and Morienyane said teaching the sport in their case might take longer than usual.
“It's going to be different depending on how quick you can grasp it,” Morienyane said.
“Some may get it quicker than others so you can take maybe a month to three months and it also depends on the regularity of coach's visits,” he added.
“If the coach is going everyday then they can get it quicker, but once a week it may take time. It also depends on the interest from players because you can continue even without the coach.”
Morienyane said the association wants to be inclusive.
The primary schools that are beneficiaries are Ntlhoholetsane, St. Peters, St. James while the high schools are St. Catherine's, St. Mary's, Morija Girls and Holy Family.
For the institutional centres the beneficiaries are St. Bernadette Resource Centre for the Blinds, St. Catherine's, Itjareng Vocational School and Kananelo Centre for the Deaf.
The association has also extended chess to prisons and the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) also received chess sets.
Morienyane said because of COVID-19 it has been difficult to get access to the prisoners but the CFL have already spoken with the LCS to be given permission to teach the prisoners chess.
He said the same thing is already happening across the world and prisoners are competing in online chess tournaments. Morienyane said learning and playing chess is a way to also help contribute to the rehabilitation of prisoners.
“The interaction with the prisoners is allowed to a certain extent if we have LCS officers,” he said.
“They are of interest because we have few people that have learnt chess from prisons; they can play on their own and they have time (so) they can play chess,” Morienyane said.
“Chess has more literature than other sporting codes, so if you can read while playing you are able to learn quickly.”
Tlalane Phahla
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