CRACKiT Chess academy shifts focus to development
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday August 18, 2026 10:19
The organisation recently held a Cracking Series Chess Challenge at Botho University sponsored by CRACKiT to the tune of P30, 000. The academy chess instructor, Petronel John told Sport Monitor on Monday that the academy was established to introduce, teach and develop chess among children and young people.
John revealed that they provide training through different CRACKiT centres for students, as well as the Saturday Chess Master Classes.
The training attract monthly fees, provides additional and more intensive training for everyone even if they are not students from the centers who want to further develop their skills and competitive ability.
“We also create opportunities for our students to gain tournament experience through participation in different chess competitions. Our vision is to develop confident disciplined and competitive chess players while using chess as a tool to develop critical thinking, concentration, problem-solving and decision making skills among young people,” she said.
“Some of the success of the academy include the continued growth of chess within CRACKiT, participation of our students in different competitive tournaments, and strong performances by some of our players at national level competitions.”
John added the academy had players who qualified for and participate in major competitions, including African-level events. According to her, the recent tournament was the second edition of which they hosted the first edition last year.
She explained that the tournament was aimed at giving young players a more competitive tournament experience, promoting chess development and creating a platform where players from different backgrounds could compete and learn from one another.
John highlighted that some of the challenges that the academy faces include ensuring that young players get enough regular tournament exposure.
Others are maintaining consistent training and maintaining consistent training and encouraging more parents and stakeholders to invest in the long-term development of young players.
The academy has two players in the national team being Candidate Master, Thuto Mpene and Atang Fidani.