Ben Klopper and Isabella Temmers Shine at African Youth Chess Championship
Two young stars from Helderberg Chess Club recently had the honour of representing South Africa at the 17th African Youth Chess Championship (AYCC) in Entebbe, Uganda.
The prestigious continental tournament took place from 14 to 23 May 2026 at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria and attracted hundreds of talented young chess players from across Africa. South Africa sent a strong delegation of 51 junior players to compete in the event, including Helderberg’s own Ben Klopper and Isabella Temmers.
Ben Klopper Impresses in U12 Open
Ben competed in the highly competitive Under-12 Open section, which featured an impressive 198 players from 10 countries. The largest contingent came from Kenya, with 158 participants in the section.
Ben made an excellent start to the tournament, winning his first three games. In round four he secured a draw against a higher-rated South African opponent before facing one of the tournament favourites from Egypt, the fourth seed, in round five.
Showing great resilience, Ben bounced back with victories in rounds six and seven. Although he suffered a defeat against the sixth-seeded Egyptian player in round eight, he finished strongly by winning his final-round game.
His final score of 6½ points from 9 rounds earned him an outstanding 18th place overall out of 198 competitors, placing him comfortably within the top 10% of the field.
Following the classical tournament, Ben also participated in the Rapid Championship, scoring 3½ points from 7 games.
Isabella Temmers Excels in U12 Girls
Isabella competed in the Under-12 Girls section, which attracted 104 players from 10 countries, including 69 competitors from Kenya.
Like Ben, Isabella enjoyed a superb start to the event, winning her first three games against opponents from Kenya and Uganda. She then drew her fourth-round game against a player from Zambia before defeating a Zimbabwean opponent in round five.
Her toughest challenge came in round six against the tournament’s second seed from Egypt. Although she fought hard, she was unable to overcome the highly-rated opponent. Isabella responded admirably, scoring a win and a draw in rounds seven and eight against fellow South Africans.
In the final round, she faced the number one seed and eventual champion of the section. Despite a determined effort, Isabella narrowly missed out, finishing the tournament with an excellent score of 6 points from 9 rounds.
Her performance earned her a remarkable 13th place finish out of 104 players, placing her among the strongest performers in the tournament.
Isabella also competed in both the Girls Rapid and Blitz Championships, scoring 4 out of 7 in the rapid event and an impressive 5½ out of 9 in the blitz tournament.
A Proud Achievement
Representing one’s country at an international championship is a significant achievement in itself, and both Ben and Isabella proved that they belong on the continental stage. Their strong performances against some of Africa’s best young players reflect the hard work, dedication and fighting spirit that they bring to every tournament.
Helderberg Chess Club is incredibly proud of both players for representing South Africa and our club with distinction. Their success serves as an inspiration to younger players and demonstrates that local talent can compete confidently against the very best that Africa has to offer.
Congratulations to Ben and Isabella on their outstanding achievements, and we look forward to following their chess journeys in the years ahead.
