There are records of organised chess being played in South Africa as far back as 1847, but the oldest surviving chess club is the Cape Town Chess Club, founded in 1885.

A national body, the Chess Federation of South Africa, was formed in 1948. Under apartheid, society was divided on racial grounds, and governed by whites, and the body catered for whites only. The first non-racial organisation, the Western Province Chess Association, was founded in 1964.

The following lists competitions for Chess in South Africa.

Chess Olympiads

South Africa first participated in the 1958 Olympiad in Munich. In 1974, South Africa was suspended by FIDE 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 1958 13th Chess Olympiad Munich, West Germany Heidenfeld, Dreyer, Kirby, Grivainis, Isaacson, Stern 27/36 1964 16th Chess Olympiad Tel Aviv, Israel Dreyer, Kirby, Rubinsztein, Friedgood, Wolpert, Isaacson 44/50 1966 17th Chess Olympiad Havana, Cuba Dreyer, Kroon, Heyns, Hangelbroek, Price, Wilken 43/52 1968 18th Chess Olympiad Lugano, Switzerland Friedgood, Kroon, Morschel, Griffiths, Hangelbroek 36/53 1970 19th Chess Olympiad Siegen, West Germany Friedgood, Price, Heyns, Griffiths, Dreyer, Bloch 43/60 1974 21st Chess Olympiad Nice, France Friedgood, Kroon, Korostenski, de Villiers, Bloch DNF/63* 1992 30th Chess Olympiad Manila, Philippines Solomons, de Villiers, D Gluckman, Kobese, Bouah, M Solomon 63/102 1994 31st Chess Olympiad Moscow, Russia Solomons, Kobese, de Villiers, Bouah, M Solomon 58/124 1996 32nd Chess Olympiad Yerevan, Armenia D Gluckman, Michelakis, Kobese, Levitt, Kromhout, Pearson 63/114 1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Elista, Russia Kobese, Rubery, K Solomon, de Villiers, Cawdery 80/110 2000 34th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey D Gluckman, K Solomon, van der Nat, Kromhout, M Solomon 68/129 2002 35th Chess Olympiad Bled, Slovenia D Gluckman, K Solomon, J Gluckman, Levitt, Aranov, Kromhout 102/140 2004 36th Chess Olympiad Calvià, Spain Michelakis, Kobese, K Solomon, D Gluckman, Solomons, J Gluckman 55/129 2006 37th Chess Olympiad Turin, Italy Kobese, K Solomon, van der Nat, Cawdery, Ophoff, van den Heever 83/150 2008 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden, Germany Kobese, K Solomon, Steel, Cawdery, Mabusela 58/154 2010 39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, van den Heever 74/149 2012 40th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey K Solomon, Kobese, Steel, Mabusela, Cawdery 62/157 2014 41st Chess Olympiad Tromsø, Norway K Solomon, Steel, Kobese, van den Heever, D Gluckman 82/177 2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Baku, Azerbaijan K Solomon, Cawdery, Kobese, van den Heever, Klaasen 97/180 2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Batumi, Georgia Cawdery, Kobese, Klaasen, Mabusela, van den Heever 70/185 2022 44th Chess Olympiad Chennai, India K Solomon, Cawdery, Barrish, Mhango, Kobese 55/188 2024 45th Chess Olympiad Budapest, Hungary Barrish, Karsten, Levitan, Mhango, Cawdery 67/196 2026 46th Chess Olympiad Samarkand, Uzbekistan Karsten, Levitan, Mhango, Mnyasta, Dinham 82/206 - In 1974, FIDE expelled the team with three rounds to go due to the country's apartheid policies.

Women Year Event Location Players Position 1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Elista, Russia Erwee, Minnaar, Frank, Laubscher 62/72 2000 34th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey Minnaar, Meyer, Frick, van der Merwe 71/86 2002 35th Chess Olympiad Bled, Slovenia van der Merwe, Pretorius, Neethling, Bleazard 68/93 2004 36th Chess Olympiad Calvià, Spain van der Merwe, Pretorius, Frick, Ellappen 68/87 2006 37th Chess Olympiad Turin, Italy Frick, Ellappen, Moodliar, Laubscher 66/108 2008 38th Chess Olympiad Dresden, Germany Solomons, Greeff, Ellappen, de Jager, Sischy 57/114 2010 39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Greeff, Solomons, Sischy, Ezeet, Mbalenhie 69/115 2012 40th Chess Olympiad Istanbul, Turkey Greeff, van der Merwe, Solomons, Frick, Tlale 65/127 2014 41st Chess Olympiad Tromsø, Norway Frick, Solomons, Tlale, R van Niekerk, Fisher 72/136 2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Baku, Azerbaijan Frick, Laubscher, February, Fisher, L van Niekerk 72/140 2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Batumi, Georgia February, Bouah, Fisher, Selkirk, van Zyl 62/151 2022 44th Chess Olympiad Chennai, India February, van Zyl, Badenhorst, Selkirk, Bouah 100/162 2024 45th Chess Olympiad Budapest, Hungary February, Badenhorst, Klaasen, Nel, Strong 87/183 2026 46th Chess Olympiad Samarkand, Uzbekistan Badenhorst, Laubscher, Nel, Klaasen, Masango 96/189

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.

Top players

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

Rank Player Rating Year of birth 1 IM Henry Steel 2408 1989 2 IM Jan Karsten 2386 2008 3 FM Banele Mhango 2354 2003 4 IM Caleb Levitan 2316 2010 5 IM Daniel Cawdery 2312 1982 6 FM Raphael Felix 2307 2010 7 GM Kenny Solomon 2282 1979 8 FM Roland Bezuidenhout 2269 1997 9 FM Daniel Barrish 2245 2000 10 IM Watu Kobese 2224 1973 as of September 2026

Top female players

Rank Player Rating Year of birth 1 WIM Jesse February 2010 1997 2 WFM Chloe Badenhorst 1997 2007 3 WIM Charlize Van Zyl 1963 1999 4 Sizakele Masango 1880 1997 5 WFM Chisomo Boshoma 1878 2007 as of September 2026

References