DURBAN – When 8-year-old Chatsworth boy Azra-Noor Ally’s father took him to the local Nelson Mandela Youth Centre for chess lessons at the tender age of five, he merely wanted a sport that would tone down his hyperactive son.
He thought chess was the perfect distraction that would get him to sit down and stop running around.
Three years later, proud father Mashuk Ally has got much more than he bargained for: his son has been selected to represent South Africa in the Commonwealth Chess Championships in New Delhi, India, from July 2-10.
But Ally cannot afford to pay for the trip to get his son to the games.
Since the day Ally received the good news that his son was one of two players selected to represent the country in the under-8 category, the desperate father has been trying to raise funds in an attempt to help his son realise his dream of playing for South Africa.
Azra-Noor, a pupil at Elora Primary School, is the youngest of two children, and will need R40000 to pay for his flights, food, accommodation and other expenses.
He learnt the basics of chess through classes he used to attend in Chatsworth, and has never looked back.
“He taught himself as he went on and we were surprised when he was selected to play in the eThekwini Regional championships and obtained his colours,” Ally said.
Achievements
His achievements include playing for KwaZulu-Natal in the national championships in Cape Town last year, and the Johannesburg tournament, where he came second this year.
In April, the schoolboy took fourth spot in the SA Closed Championships, where he played against 16 opponents from around the country.
“He is too excited not to go. The trip is all he talks about these days. He has been practising a lot and he is more than ready to take on international competitors,” Ally said.
He said his son was naturally a brilliant child and a straight-A student.
“These games really motivate him to perform exceptionally in everything he does. His academic results speak for themselves, and I think his chess skills also contribute to his performance at school,” he added.