AFRICAN CHESS TALES

 

THE RISE OF CONSOLATRICE KABASO MWILA.

For some, Ndola is widely known as Zambia’s second largest city in the aspect of infrastructural development. The city, nicknamed ‘NoliNoli’ is renowned to the locals for its ‘friendless’. And yet for the chess society in Zambia or indeed all those who follow chess goings-on in the country, Ndola is an iconic city as it blessed the whole Sub Saharan Africa with its foremost Grand Master and the third in the history of the game. Since the heydays of dazzling Amon Simutowe, Ndola has continued producing glittering chess stars in the region.

                                                         The champ in action.

But most of these chess genii have been males. 10 year old wonder girl Consolatrice Kabaso Mwila is soon poised to change that status. She too, hails from the city of Ndola which was founded in 1904, by John Edward "Chiripula" Stephenson just six months after Livingstone, making it the second oldest colonial-era town of Zambia.

Under the tutelage of her own father,Consolatrice has continued her quick rise to stardom in the country’s chess arena. She was only five years old when she played her first sanctioned chess tournament at Masala Secondary school in her native town. She announced herself on the chess scene in grand style by winning the first slot of the under 13 age bracket of this same chess event.

                                                  Consolatrice posing with her medal and certificate

Since that memorable day, Consolatrice has recorded bright results in the chess tournaments that she has taken part in. Her accomplishments include best youngest chess star in the Genesco Chess Tournament. She won the same accolade in the Joseph Mofya Kunda Open which was also staged in her home town. She is the four times Ndola under 13 female champion and the first Copperbelt individual youth champion, an event in which she amassed an astonishing 5 out of 5. On 13 march 2020 the Ministry of General Education,Hon Chrispin Chilufya awarded her with a certificate after scooping first slot at inter zones primary/secondary athletic and chess competition for 2020.

They say chess can sometimes ‘steal’ a student’s time for studying and other recreational activities, but Consolatrice has deflated this theory. Despite being a chess aficionada, her academic prowess cannot be snubbed. She recently passed to the eight grade and did so with excellent results; her father is quick to say he believes chess actually helped in this milestone.

There is no denying that her father, Kabaso Aggrey who is a FIDE Instructor and one of the recognizable faces on the Copperbelt chess purview, is her pillar in her plummeting chess career. It is Mr Kabaso who in fact introduced the young girl to chess at age 4. With intensive chess training, Consolatrice has already been added in the chess pages of history of her country.

To motivate and welcome her to the eighth grade, her parents compiled educational pamphlets in all the subjects that she will now be taking. Mr Kabaso extends this venture to other parents that may want such kind of pamphlets for their children to get in touch with him on 0977320653 and 0967674323. 

                                  The Pamphlets that Mr Kabaso compiled for her daughter.