South Africa gets its first chess grandmaster

[Von Tonner]

This is a really "good feel" story on so many levels. Not only to climb out of a bad social environment but to achieve at such a high level is amazing.

As a fellow chess player I stand in awe of him and his achievements.

“Kenny was exposed to gang culture from an early age,” his website states. “Kenny realised that if he didn’t create his own future, he would merely become a pawn in this scene, trapped in the violent, oppressive cycle of gangsterism. Strong family values and his early interest in chess kept him away from these influences and compelled him to make choices about his fate.

“After getting into chess at the age of 13, he would play blitz games with his older brother and a friend in the Solomons’ backyard, amidst lines of dripping washing.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...itchells-plain