KE: Nairobi Chess Club to Host Dutch GM Dimitri Reinderman

(Press release courtesy of Nairobi Chess Club)

Dutch GM Dimitri Reinderman

Kenyan chess will get a much needed boost when one of the world’s top trainers, Grand Master (GM) Dmitri Reinderman of Holland, jets into the country later today, Thursday, 21st July, to conduct an extensive chess clinic. Some of Kenya’s seasoned internationals and top local players like FIDE Master Martin Gateri, Candidate Master Wachira Wachania, Olympian Ben Magana and three time Kenya Blitz chess champion Mehul Gohil will be taking part.

The chess clinic kicks off on 22nd July Friday with the first of four training sessions.

“Dmitri Reinderman has an ELO rating of 2617 which is world class. He is a well respected chess trainer who has coached the South African national team which is one of the strongest teams on the continent. And he has mentored some of best junior players in Europe. In Kenya, the opportunity to get mentored by such a strong player is almost non-existent. Most of the time local players are left to their own devices and this method of training naturally has serious limitations. A grandmaster in general is equipped with a great knowledge of various middle game strategies and endgame technique. In addition, Grandmaster Reinderman is an expert on intricate openings like the Alekhine’s and Semi-Slav Defences which I also employ. To get an inside look through the eyes of a top grandmaster at these openings will be priceless,” quoted Mehul Gohil.

Simultaneous Exhibition
The Friday training session will be followed by a spectacular exhibition over the weekend. On Saturday, 23rd July at 1 pm, Grandmaster Reinderman will take on 35 players simultaneously in an event billed as ‘Reinderman vs The rest of Kenya’. This exhibition will showcase the grandmaster’s ‘chess stamina’ and ability to think through radically shifting scenarios.

“As Reinderman goes around the boards making his moves against different players it will be like a Governor who is forced to campaign and contest elections in more than one county over the same period of time. The Governor has to county-hop without a break of any kind. He is forced to keep changing his mindframe so as to keep in sync with the different characteristics of each individual constituency. In short, a very tough job that requires a special and flexible talent,” quoted Mehul Gohil.

The simultaneous event will be one of the highlights of this clinic. Invited are players from the entire spectrum of the Kenyan chess scene from juniors to university students to top lady players to veterans to media celebrities. East Africa’s number one player, Harold Wanyama of Uganda will also attend. There will be a few slots open to the general public.

Blindfold Exhibition Match
On Sunday, 24th July Grandmaster Reinderman will play a blindfold exhibition game against one of Kenya’s legendary Olympians, Ben Nguku. The grandmaster will have no sight of the board unlike Ben Nguku. The grandmaster will speak out his moves as he plays the game entirely within his mind, relying only on his photographic memory of move patterns.

The event is being organized by Kenya’s oldest and biggest chess club – Nairobi Chess Club. The event sponsors are Jacaranda Hotels Kenya, Tarpo Ltd, NCC members and Chess Events EAC.

“The grandmaster clinic is part of a process by Nairobi Chess Club to revamp and reinvent the chess scene in Kenya. This year alone we have organized a regional league, several blitz championships and our members have supported other clubs in organizing various chess events. Next year we plan to send some top Kenya players out for international tournaments in Europe or Asia.” said the club chairman Kim Bhari.

This will be the first time in over 20 years that a grandmaster is coming to Kenya to train the country’s best players. Last training visit was by Grandmaster John Emms of England in 1990 when he took the national team bound for the Novi Sad Olympiad through a grueling training schedule.