If you’ve attended a junior chess tournament in the Western Cape over the past two years, chances are you’ve seen Lila, Evan and Zoey deep in concentration over a chessboard.

The talented triplets from Helderberg Chess Club have become familiar faces on the local chess circuit, collecting medals, earning provincial honours and establishing themselves among South Africa’s strongest young players.

Together, they have built an impressive record in a remarkably short space of time.

Zoey has become known for her determination and fighting spirit. At one tournament she spent the night vomiting and arrived still feeling unwell, unsure whether she would even compete. She went on to finish second overall, with only her brother Evan finishing ahead of her.

At another event, after losing nearly a full day to illness, she returned the following morning and won her next game in just 27 moves.

Lila has quietly built an impressive chess résumé of her own, consistently producing strong performances and collecting medals while competing against some of the province’s best junior players.

All three siblings were selected for the Inter-Regional Under-10 team, a reflection of both their talent and dedication.

But while all three have achieved remarkable success, one story has captured the attention of the local chess community in particular.

The story of Evan.

A Boy Who Fell in Love with Chess

Evan only started playing competitive chess two years ago.

Today, he is preparing to represent South Africa at the World Cadets Cup in Batumi, Georgia, where he will compete against some of the strongest young players in the world.

His rise has been extraordinary.

By September, he was the highest-rated Under-10 player in both Cape Town and the Western Cape and fourth in South Africa.

A month later he had climbed to third nationally.

By December he was ranked second in the country and was the highest-rated chess player at his school.

Yet when speaking about Evan, his mother rarely starts with rankings.

Instead, she talks about how much he loves chess.

After one particularly emotional tournament, she spent the evening consoling him through tears and disappointment. The next morning, he woke up and announced that he wished every day could be a library chess tournament.

“You wouldn’t think after all that crying,” she recalled, “that he would wake up Friday and say he wishes it’s every day library chess tournament.”

More recently, after another competition, he wanted to know when the next tournament would be.

According to his mother, even the following weekend wasn’t soon enough.

For Evan, chess isn’t simply something he does. It is something he wants to do all the time.

Learning by Watching

One of the most remarkable things about Evan’s development is how naturally he seems to absorb information.

When his mother eventually decided it was time to teach him chess notation, she made an unexpected discovery.

He had already taught himself.

By watching other players record their games, Evan had learned notation on his own and was already teaching his sisters.

“He learnt by watching the others doing it,” she said.

The same pattern appears again and again.

Following a training session with coach Armand, Evan arrived home and recounted virtually the entire lesson from memory.

“I was just told the whole chess lesson word for word,” his mother said afterwards. “He even remembered dates. Never mind moves, of course.”

His ability to remember games, lessons and positions continues to amaze those around him.

Every Tournament, Every Medal

By the end of October, Evan pointed out something his mother had not noticed.

He believed he had won a medal at every rated tournament he had entered.

At first she wasn’t convinced.

“I thought no,” she admitted.

Then she checked.

He was right.

Not one rated tournament had passed without Evan finishing with a medal.

For a young player still in his first year of serious competition, the consistency was remarkable.

His mother remembers feeling incredibly proud, but what stood out most was that Evan’s focus wasn’t really on the medals.

Instead, he was already looking for ways to help other children improve.

When younger players asked for assistance, he was eager to help.

As his mother explained, if other children could learn and Evan could play chess, he was a happy boy.

Playing on Instinct

Many young players rely heavily on memorisation and preparation.

Evan appears to combine study with something more difficult to teach.

Instinct.

At the South African Junior Closed Championships, a coach analysed one of Evan’s games and suggested he had chosen a poor move.

His mother noticed him disengage from the discussion.

Later, when she asked him about it, he explained that the move had been deliberate because he understood his opponent’s style.

“He said he knows Ethan’s game and he did it on purpose,” she recalled.

Whether right or wrong, the confidence to trust his own judgement is one of the qualities that makes him such an interesting player.

His mother believes his natural feel for positions is something that cannot easily be coached.

“He just does it,” she said.

That intuition has helped him compete successfully against some of the strongest juniors in the country.

At the South African Junior Closed Championships, he finished fourth overall with six wins from nine games despite facing one of the toughest routes through the field.

A Grandmaster and a Lesson

One of the most revealing stories about Evan came during a simultaneous exhibition and blitz event featuring some of the world’s strongest players.

After facing Iranian grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo, Evan was seen crying outside the playing hall.

People assumed he was overwhelmed by the experience.

The reality was something entirely different.

When asked why he was upset, his answer was simple.

“I wanted to win.”

Not that he hoped to win.

Not that he thought he might have a chance.

He wanted to win.

For a young player facing one of the world’s elite grandmasters, it was a response that perfectly captured Evan’s competitive spirit.

The Road to Georgia

Earlier this year, Evan earned selection for three prestigious international events: the African Youth Championships in Uganda, the Commonwealth Championships in Sri Lanka and the World Cadets Cup in Georgia.

Attending all three was not financially possible, so the family focused their efforts on Georgia.

The World Cadets Cup, which takes place in Batumi in June, brings together many of the world’s strongest young players and serves as a pathway to the World Cadets Championships later in the year.

For a player who only began competing two years ago, the opportunity is remarkable.

Yet those closest to Evan would probably say that international selection is not what drives him.

After a disappointing tournament, he works harder.

After a lesson, he wants to learn more.

After a tournament, he wants another one.

In fact, not long ago, he told his mother that he needed another chess tournament that very night.

Waiting until next weekend simply wasn’t fast enough.

More Than One Success Story

While Evan’s rise has been extraordinary, the story remains very much a family one.

Lila, Evan and Zoey have travelled the journey together, supporting one another through victories, disappointments and countless hours around chessboards.

Together they have become some of Helderberg Chess Club’s brightest young ambassadors.

Their achievements are a reminder of what can happen when talent meets hard work, encouragement and a genuine love for the game.

As for Evan, his story is still only beginning.

If the last two years have shown anything, it is that when it comes to chess, he is always looking forward to the next challenge.

And preferably, the next tournament too.