Chess in South Africa

The following lists competitions for Chess in South Africa.

Chess Olympiads

See also: Chess Olympiad

South Africa first participated in the 1958 Olympiad in Munich. The team stopped participating in international chess in 1974 due to the sports boycott as a result of the country's apartheid policies, returning to play at the 1992 Olympiad after the end of apartheid.

Open

Year	Event	Location	Players	Position	Ref
1958	13th Chess Olympiad	Munich, West Germany	Heidenfeld, Dreyer, Kirby, Grivainis, Isaacson, Stern	27/36	[1]
1964	16th Chess Olympiad	Tel Aviv, Israel	Dreyer, Kirby, Rubinsztein, Friedgood, Wolpert, Isaacson	44/50	[1]
1966	17th Chess Olympiad	Havana, Cuba	Dreyer, Kroon, Heyns, Hangelbroek, Price, Wilken	43/52	[1]
1968	18th Chess Olympiad	Lugano, Switzerland	Friedgood, Kroon, Morschel, Griffiths, Hangelbroek	36/53	[1]
1970	19th Chess Olympiad	Siegen, West Germany	Friedgood, Price, Heyns, Griffiths, Dreyer, Bloch	43/60	[1]
1974	21st Chess Olympiad	Nice, France	Friedgood, Kroon, Korostenski, de Villiers, Bloch	DNF/63*	[1]
1992	30th Chess Olympiad	Manila, Philippines	Solomons, de Villiers, D Gluckman, Kobese, Bouah, M Solomon	63/102	[2][1]
1994	31st Chess Olympiad	Moscow, Russia	Solomons, Kobese, de Villiers, Bouah, M Solomon	58/124	[3][1]
1996	32nd Chess Olympiad	Yerevan, Armenia	D Gluckman, Michelakis, Kobese, Levitt, Kromhout, Pearson	63/114	[4][1]
1998	33rd Chess Olympiad	Elista, Russia	Kobese, Rubery, K Solomon, de Villiers, Cawdery	80/110	[5]
2000	34th Chess Olympiad	Istanbul, Turkey	D Gluckman, K Solomon, van der Nat, Kromhout, M Solomon	68/129	[6]
2002	35th Chess Olympiad	Bled, Slovenia	D Gluckman, K Solomon, J Gluckman, Levitt, Aranov, Kromhout	102/140	[7]
2004	36th Chess Olympiad	Calvià, Spain	Michelakis, Kobese, K Solomon, D Gluckman, Solomons, J Gluckman	55/129	[8]
2006	37th Chess Olympiad	Turin, Italy	Kobese, K Solomon, van der Nat, Cawdery, Ophoff, van den Heever	83/150	[9]
2008	38th Chess Olympiad	Dresden, Germany	Kobese, K Solomon, Steel, Cawdery, Mabusela	58/154	[10]
2010	39th Chess Olympiad	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, van den Heever	74/149	[11]
2012	40th Chess Olympiad	Istanbul, Turkey	K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, Cawdery	62/157	[12]
2014	41st Chess Olympiad	Tromsø, Norway	K Solomon, Steel, Kobese, van den Heever, D Gluckman	82/177	[13]
2016	42nd Chess Olympiad	Baku, Azerbaijan	K Solomon, Cawdery, Kobese, van den Heever, Klaasen	97/180	[14]
2018	43rd Chess Olympiad	Batumi, Georgia	Cawdery, Kobese, Klaasen, Mabusela, van den Heever	70/185	[15]
2022	44th Chess Olympiad	Chennai, India	K Solomon, Cawdery, Barrish, Mhango, Kobese	55/188	[16]
2024	45th Chess Olympiad	Budapest, Hungary	Barrish, Karsten, Levitan, Mhango, Cawdery	67/196	[17]

• - In 1974, FIDE expelled the team with three rounds to go due to the country's apartheid policies.

Women

Year	Event	Location	Players	Position	Ref
1998	33rd Chess Olympiad	Elista, Russia	Erwee, Minnaar, Frank, Laubscher	62/72	[18]
2000	34th Chess Olympiad	Istanbul, Turkey	Minnaar, Meyer, Frick, van der Merwe	71/86	[19]
2002	35th Chess Olympiad	Bled, Slovenia	van der Merwe, Pretorius, Neethling, Bleazard	68/93	[20]
2004	36th Chess Olympiad	Calvià, Spain	van der Merwe, Pretorius, Frick, Ellappen	68/87	[21]
2006	37th Chess Olympiad	Turin, Italy	Frick, Ellappen, Moodliar, Laubscher	66/108	[22]
2008	38th Chess Olympiad	Dresden, Germany	Solomons, Greeff, Ellappen, de Jager, Sischy	57/114	[23]
2010	39th Chess Olympiad	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	Greeff, Solomons, Sischy, Ezeet, Mbalenhie	69/115	[24]
2012	40th Chess Olympiad	Istanbul, Turkey	Greeff, van der Merwe, Solomons, Frick, Tlale	65/127	[25]
2014	41st Chess Olympiad	Tromsø, Norway	Frick, Solomons, Tlale, R van Niekerk, Fisher	72/136	[26]
2016	42nd Chess Olympiad	Baku, Azerbaijan	Frick, Laubscher, February, Fisher, L van Niekerk	72/140	[27]
2018	43rd Chess Olympiad	Batumi, Georgia	February, Bouah, Fisher, Selkirk, van Zyl	62/151	[28]
2022	44th Chess Olympiad	Chennai, India	February, van Zyl, Badenhorst, Selkirk, Bouah	100/162	[29]
2024	45th Chess Olympiad	Budapest, Hungary	February, Badenhorst, Klaasen, Nel, Strong	87/183	[30]

Major tournaments

Major tournaments hosted in South Africa include the South African Chess Championship and the South African Open.

In 2023, the first Cape Town Chess Masters was held.^[31]

Top players

South Africa has one grandmaster; Kenny Solomon. Solomon earned the title by winning the African Chess Championship in December 2014.^[32] Solomon is however not the top-ranked player in the country.

Rank	Player	Rating	Year of birth
1	IM Henry Steel	2413	1989
2	IM Daniel Cawdery	2350	1982
3	IM Jan Karsten	2327	2008
4	FM Caleb Levitan	2293	2010
5	FM Roland Bezuidenhout	2285	1997
6	FM Daniel Barrish	2284	2000
7	GM Kenny Solomon	2280	1979
8	CM Ja Ophoff	2273	1979
9	CM Watu Kobese	2264	1973
10	FM Jack Van Zyl-Rudd	2248	2002

^[33] as of January 2025

Top female players

Rank	Player	Rating	Year of birth
1	WIM Jesse February	2052	1997
2	WFM Chloe Badenhorst	2004	2007
3	WCM Chisomo Boshoma	1944	2007
4	WIM Charlize Van Zyl	1940	1999
5	WCM Hayley Nel	1830	2006

^[34] as of January 2025