www.MyPE.co.za:
The first Red Location Museum Draughts Tournament took place on the
Museum's porch on 15 November 2008 with 80 players from two community
schools as well as the Vulindlela Club participating. The atmosphere was
exciting and loaded with a very special kind of buzz from the long rows
of tables lining the Museum's entrance.
The game furthermore caused a lot of interest from Museum visitors and
one observer remarked that the occasion reminded her of the outdoor
Cuban/Mozambican Café vibe – and suggested that this game needed to
become a regular
Red Location Museum feature with just the final typical
"Red-Location-rounding-off touches added, the preparation of "rostile" -
an open-fire-baked African bread and "iqadidi" - roasted sheep's head,
by the community women in the background.
The Tournament stretched across 4 hours - with the top three winners
being Jimmy Mqotsi, Eugene Mpompi and Lulama Selekete. A selection of
several prices will be handed over at the Red Location Museum on
Saturday 22 November 2008 at noon.
Annette Du Plessis says; "When Lubabalo Kondlo, the current
International Draughts Champion and a resident from the surrounding
community, recently approached
Red Location Museum about the need for support in organising a local
draughts tournament – the Museum welcomed his request as an opportunity
to honour our very own Champion and to furthermore pursue its focus on
Community Development and Transformation. The Museum hence embraced the
Draughts Tournament to be an annual event including the Museum's full
marketing support, as well as sponsorship for t-shirts, prices and
refreshments for all participants.
In contrast to the former World Champion, Ron "Suki" King, who earns
R400 000.00 per annum, and was honoured by; having a sculpture erected
at the school he attended, sponsored with a Suzuki and a Mitsubishi
vehicle and given 12 000 sq ft of land by the Barbados Government to
build a draughts theme house, Lubabalo's humble living conditions stand
in stark contrast: He comes from a community with an average
unemployment rate of 80% and shares his abode, a crammed small two-bedroomed
house with an outdoor shack, with more than twenty other family members.
Lubabalo's
passion for Draughts was instilled by his mentor Jimboys Mqotsi, since
the age of nine years and under the wings of the well established
Township club: "the Vulindlela Draughts Club". Lubabalo Kondlo
also relies on the knowledge from a library of books. He claims that he
used a strategy from 1847 to defeat his International contender,
Beckham."
Lubabalo Kondlo defeated world draughts champion Ronald King from
Barbados in 1999 and earned his Protea colours in 2001. His victory over
King, opened doors for Kondlo and he has played against King in many
tournaments since. King has successfully defended his GAYP (Go As You
Please Checkers) title every year since obtaining it in 1991. Ron King
of Barbados once again successfully defended his GAYP world title
against Lubabalo Kondlo in a match held from the 8th to the 13th of
September 2008 at the Rodeway Inn & Medina Conference Center in Medina,
Ohio. Lubabalo won the right to play by winning the
2007
US National Tournament as well as the 2007 GAYP Qualifier, sponsored
by the World Checkers and Draughts Federation.
FORUM post from USA Checkers of one of the games played between King
and Kondlo.
Kondlo became a grandmaster in 2003, the highest status that can be
achieved in the game. Lubabalo's trip to the USA was sponsored by the
late philanthropist Arthur Niederhoffer's son Victor.
Related Links:
Mind-boggling omission of Lubabalo Kondlo.
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