Dear Chess Friends,
I would like to sincerely thank all the members of the African Chess Confederation who voted me into this challenging office for the next four years.
The African Chess Confederation currently consists of 40 members. By the end of the current session of the FIDE General Assembly, this number will go up to 42.
Elections are now past and we must move forward with working on the development of chess in our continent.
I guarantee that I will be President for all the 42 members and I will furthermore work with all countries around the continent to increase this number to match the IOC member countries in the coming four years.
In electing me, you have elected a whole network of people wishing to contribute to development of African chess and this includes the three other members of my ticket.
On behalf of the other members of the ticket and the team, I wish to assure you that we are up to the challenges facing African chess and we will start work immediately on setting up structure and communication channels.
The build up to the current FIDE and Continental elections has unfortunately sown seeds of division that I have never seen previously in Africa in my years of service in global chess leadership.
Whilst we may have differences of opinion or indeed disagree on various issues, it is important to always bear in mind that our conduct and actions will provide a benchmark for others. It is time to turn back from the various conflicts that materialized in the last few days and look towards the future. My team’s campaign under the theme “Building Chess for Africa” emphasized the following main vision components:-
• African chess players achieve consistent world-class performance
• African Federations introduce structured chess in schools programmes in both primary and secondary educational institutions.
• African youth view participation in chess activities as an integral and enjoyable part of their lives;
• African communities and individuals can develop their chess playing abilities and enhance their enjoyment, limited only by their talent and commitment.
The mandate the membership of the African Chess Confederation has given to our team means that work has to start immediately and I invite the entire membership of our continental grouping to put aside political differences and work with us as we begin the long journey of “Building Chess for Africa”.
Gens Una Sumus
Lewis Ncube
Congratulations.