Ocean View resident Vasco Vigis is teaching children life lessons through the game of chess in a brand-new chess club on Saturday mornings, hosted at the Cape Flats Wellness Centre.
With two meetings under his belt, Vigis is committed to feeding the children a solid meal and giving them a safe place to play and learn for at least one weekend morning.
He is on a mission to make up for the bad choices of his gangster days.
“One of the reasons I got into gangsterism and drugs is because I had nothing constructive to do with my time,” he said. “I feel like I owe it to the community for how destructive I was in my youth. As a delinquent youth, I’ve hurt people, I’ve used drugs, and as much of an activist that I am in the community now, I feel that I can never give back what I took out.
“It’s about providing a space and facility for kids to keep busy on the Saturday morning.”
Vigis said children as young as two were coming to the sessions along with their parents, who were attracted by the offer of a free breakfast.
“Children go hungry in Ocean View, there is a need for nutrition, so we give them something to eat. It sounds clichéd, but you can’t teach a hungry child,” he said.
Vigis’ son Neo along with his friend are on the Western Province chess team in the under-13 age group, and they attend the Saturday morning sessions to help coach the budding young chess fans. Their version is called Blitz chess, where each player has under two minutes time limit and the play moves quickly.
“It’s faster than speed chess. Think of this as the 50m sprint. The children looked at how it’s played and it really whet their appetite,” Vigis said.
The first step is to build the children’s confidence by breaking down stereotypes about chess.
“People associate chess with nerds or brainy people… Anybody can do it… All you need is passion.”
He thanked the Ocean View and Kommetjie communities for donating chess boards.
Anybody who wishes to support the initiative can get in touch with Vigis Home of Hope or the Cape Flats Wellness Centre.