Banda scales chess heights
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday September 16, 2023 06:00
She made history recently when she won a gold medal in the Under-16 years girls’ category at the Africa Youth Chess Championships held in Cairo, Egypt. Banda is also the 2023 Metropolitan national women's champion.
She will now represent Africa at the 2024 World Youth Chess Championship. Her father introduced her to the board game when she was six-years-old. “He taught me and my younger brother.
I started playing chess when I was eight years, so I have been playing chess for the past eight years. At first, I thought I was playing chess for the sake of playing but gradually I fell in love with it,” said the teen. Banda said her first tournament was not the best as she lost a lot of games.
It was a wake-up call that pushed her to improve her game. Zambian International Master (IM) Andrew Kayonde is Banda's coach and they have been working together for three years. “Normally before a competition, my coach advises me to do my best, play my best and also rest.
He always tells me I am already a winner,” she said. Banda said her opening trick is usually the Tromposky, which she believes is a dangerous move and gives her confidence. In chess, the Trompowsky Attack is an offbeat 1.d4 opening for White as a response to Black's 1.Nf6. “My opponents usually lose quickly if they have no understanding of what is happening,” she added.
Banda said ahead of the Africa Youth Chess Championships, she trained hard for the event and when she arrived in Cairo, she rested because she was aware that the games were going to be long. “I am happy with the win.
I am proud of myself and it is a motivation to aim for more and try world events. Regarding being the national champion, it has always been my dream. The fact that I achieved that is an indication that my chess future is bright,” the Gaborone-born star said. After becoming the African champion, Banda is now the third highest-ranked woman player in the country behind Woman International Master (WIM) Onkemetse Francis and Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Besa Masaiti. In the world, she is ranked 75,301. Banda said at 16-years-old, she had already represented Botswana in international competitions many times including the FIDE Chess Olympiad.
“To be honest with you, I draw my inspiration from Besa Masaiti. She has achieved everything that I want to achieve. My next target now is to play as many tournaments as possible like the Zone 4.5, Africa Junior, and World Youth Championships. Chess has grounded me hence being able to balance it with school work,” she said. Banda is a student at St Joseph’s College. For his part, Kayonde said Banda is a strong strategic player. He said the player creates plans that are deep and difficult to repel once set in motion.
“Working with Natalie is easy and pleasant. She is disciplined, has strong work ethic, and has an amazing will to win. Her parents have also contributed a lot to her character as they have taken an interest in following her progress closely and whenever she slips, they guide her back into line,” he said. Kayonde said what the nation sees today is the result of many years of working at perfecting Banda’s skills. He explained that they have put in a lot of effort and resources to get to this point.
He noted that to be and remain at number one has been their goal and it is fulfilling to see her starting to dominate. Kayonde said the plan is for Banda to remain consistent. “For starters, we shall maintain what we have achieved by continuing to consistently dominate. Over and above this, we hope to get medals at much tougher competitions. She has qualified for the 2024 World Youth Chess Championship. Our preparations for that start now and we hope to bring honours to the country,” Kayonde said. He said the plan is to also connect Banda to chess.com, which has been helpful to her progress by offering her access to world-class content.
FACT FILE
Full name: Natalie Katlo Banda Date of birth: February 9, 2007 Place of birth: Gaborone Sport: Chess Title: Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Achievements: Africa Youth Chess Under 16 years champion and Women’s National Champion. Qualifying for the 2024 World Youth Chess Championship
Role model: Grand Master Nodirbek Abdussattorov from Uzbekistan. He qualified for the grandmaster title at 13 years. Biggest rival: WFM Naledi Marape Hobbies: I do not really do much apart from chess but I love reading novels when I am not busy with chess Favourite meal: I enjoy fast food but nothing beats my mother’s cooking