Alexander van der Merwe, a Grade 7 learner at Rhenish Primary, recently played in the South African Junior Chess Championships (SAJCC) in Johannesburg as part of the Western Province under-14A team.
He won his board prize and his team came second, which is already an achievement.
What was, however, truly remarkable is that Super Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, from the United States, took part in the largest simultaneous exhibition, 101 games, ever to be held at the SAJCC. Hikaru is currently ranked 8th in the world.
Alexander also participated in this simultaneous exhibition, and was one of two players who beat Hikaru, widely seen as a truly remarkable feat.
It is extremely rare for a chess player to get an opportunity to play a Super Chess Grandmaster, let alone win.
Alexander says this is an achievement he will cherish for a very long time.
