14-Year-Old Jan Karsten has won the Africa Youth Chess Championship, putting him one move closer to his dream of becoming a Grand Master.
Lusaka, Zambia (18 July 2022) – The 2022 African Youth Chess Championship has come to a close, and South Africa’s very own Jan Karsten walked away with the championship.
Jan Karsten is a 14-year-old young man from Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck in Cape Town, South Africa. He, along with several other South Africans, set off to participate in the youth chess championship in Lusaka, Zambia.
Jan
Jan hopes to become South Africa’s second “Grand Master” one day. He will do this by continuing to compete on an African and international level. The next competitions in his sights are the World Youth Championships in Romania this September and the World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad 2022 in Azerbaijan in October.
Before Jan can earn the title of Grand Master, he needs to earn the title of “Fide Master”. This title is achieved through the International Chess Federation.
His school took to social media to celebrate the achievement and shared how proud they were of him.
“Ons bars van die trots, Jan! Baie geluk met dié puik prestasie! (We are bursting with pride, Jan! Congratulations on this great achievement!)” – Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck