Help Needed for 11-year old South African Girl

Today I received the following email from Sune de Toit from South Africa. I've been to the same situation many times when I was a little girl. So if you can please help this little girl to make her dream come true!

"Dear Reader / To Whom it may concern"

Chess is not one of the major sport codes in South-Africa and relies on individual businesses to financially assist our SA Champions to compete at this level. It would be unfortunate if these talented, hard-working Junior Chess Champions were to be denied this opportunity due to a lack of finances.

I am appealing to you for financial support and assistance or long-term sponsorship to be able to reach for the stars, to be the best I can in 2010- World Youth Chess Championships - Greece.

Please, have it in your heart and be so kind to read through my curriculum vitae.

Kind Regards

Suné du Toit

Parents: Engela and Gys du Toit

Cell nr : 0832906002

Engeladut@vodamail.co.za

C.V.

My name is Suné du Toit, I am 11 years old.

I am Afrikaans speaking. I am a scholar in Elarduspark primary School in Pretoria and in Gr 5.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

I enjoy school with all the activities very much. I enjoy drama, eisteddfod, public speaking, playing in the school’s orchestra, learning the shofar, and reading a lot because it learns me being presentable, being able to handle myself in a crowd, being marketable and having something, someone admiring me for.

MY FAVOURITE SPORT:

Netball is my favourite sport that keeps me fit and healthy.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

Photography, swimming, being in nature, spending time with my family, friends and animals.

MY FAVOURITE MINDGAME:

CHESS is my favourite mind game. Chess is a competitive game played between two players.

Today, chess is one of the world’s most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide in clubs, online, in tournaments and informally.

I love playing friendly with my dad; he was my coach when I start playing chess at the age of 6 years.

I have a deep passion for chess and works hard to promote my beloved sport and to be the best I can.

I am holding on to the key to be an ambassador for my country and good chess player – hard word, practice every day, discipline and focusing.

THE VULUABILITY OF CHESS

Chess stimulates the whole brain thinking; enhance emotional development, bringing children together.

Children become more confident and learn to take responsibility for their actions.

Chess empower children to success and helping them to grow one step at a time, just like the pawn in chess. Chess plays a symbolic role in art and literature.

I love reading books about chess – Alice in wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Wizard Chess (Harry Potter series), Checkmate – a Ballet (Arthur Bliss), Chess – musical (Tim Rice).

At the Women’s Open Chess Championships I have met the lead actor, lead singer, CITO from the pop group Wonder boom who played the part of Bobby Fisher in “Chess the musical”

MY DREAM:

My dream is to be the best I can, to be happy in what I am doing and to enjoy Chess as for the game it is. I want to be one of the best female chess players in the world.

Every young child loves the opportunity to play for their country and I AM ONE OF THEM.

MY BIGGEST MOMENTS IN CHESS:

2009 - Provincial Schools D4 Individual trials …I scored 6/6 –

U13 girls, Selected for the Gauteng Individual Chess team

Participitation December 2009

2009 - Top U/12 girl Gauteng North Junior Chess

2009 –Selected to be part of the Gauteng North team

(Provincial colours)

- U/12A Team, will participate December 2009 in Cape

Town, University of Cape Town

2009 - Board one player for Elarduspark Primary School in Pretoria

- Top School winners (2008)

2009 - Represent SA at an International tournament in SA against

Namibia and other schools.

2009 – Women’s open- Woodlands Shopping centre

Playing against Melissa Greeff – South Africa ’s

Women’s International Chessmaster

2008 - Board one player for Elarduspark Primary School

Girls team- Gauteng Top School winners selected to participate and represent SA at an International Tournament 2009

2008 - Represent S.A. in Vietnam at the World Youth Chess

Championships.

2008 - My selection to be part of the team going to St Lo, France 2009, (due to financial difficulties I couldn’t go)

2008 –selected to be part of the Gauteng North -

Team (provincial colours)

2007 – Selected to be part of the WP team (provincial colours)

2007 - My selection to be part of the team of junior champions to represent SA at the World Youth Championships to be held in Vietnam (19-31 October 2008)

2007 - I have met Jennifer Shahade at the Women’s Open,

Womens’s Grandmaster, from America The Crest Centre, Midrand

2007 - I participate in a simultaneous with Hungarian Grandmaster,

Demitri Reimitri Reinderman and South Africa ’s

International Master, Watu Kobese

MY FAVOURITE CHESSPLAYERS:

Jennifer Shahade

- a Two-time American Women Chess Champion, promoting women chess worldwide. Jennifer Shahade is a Women’s Grand-master, coach, writer and two-time American Women’s Chess Champion (2002, 2004). She has given inspirational talks and lessons all over the world, including an all girls’ school in Soweto, South Africain 2007.

Susan Polgar - a Hungarian- American chess player, one of the strongest female players ever. She made history in 1986 by being the first ever female player to qualify to compete in the Men’s World Chess Championship.

Alexandra Kosteniuk - an International Woman Grandmaster (WGM) (1998) and an International Master among men (IM) (2000). During the FIDE Congress in Calvia (2004). She was awarded the title of Grandmaster (Men), thus she became the 10th woman in the whole history of chess who got this title. Her dad, Konstantin Vladimirovich – taught her to play chess when she was 5 years old.

Anzel Solomon’s from South Africa.

Best WP Women Player in 2008 (Women international Master). Drew with the Women’s world Champion GM Xu Yuhua when she represented SA at the Women’s World Championship in Russia in September 2008. Board one for SA at the Dresden Olympiad in November 2008.

MY COACH:

Watu Kobese, from Waterkloof Academy in Pretoria.

International Master (IM) Watu Kobese coaches about 50 students at the Waterkloof Academy chess centre/ School for young stars

MY MOTO:

I am a girl in the Chess world, dominated by boys with lots of intimidation.

It is not always easy to play with a boy as opponent but I am emotionally strong enough to play a strong and good game – win or loose.

I believe in myself and know that God will protect me in the World of Chess.

Loose or Win …I will be back the next round.

SPECIAL THOUGHT:

“Chess is about the mind, how you think, it’s not about what you looks like or how you dress.

The minds makes chess a level playing field, you’re all equals here…” - Richard Mason in Knights of the South Bronx .

“Chess is always a battle, a battle of beautiful ideas.

That is what I loved about chess, you don’t get a black eye, and you legs don’t get busted.

You learn how to trust your mind. In life you get much further with your mind, than your fist…..” - David Mac Enult

CONTACT DETAILS:

1. Gauteng Schools / District Sport Officials:

Tournament Director :

Antoinette Kichenbrand (0827786461 )

Communications: Jannie Walstrand

2. Gauteng North Junior Chess assosiation :

Nico Botha

E-mail: nicob@superitum.com

3. Chess South Africa :

President : Emelia Ellappen

E-mail: ellappen@telkomsa.net

Secretary: Lynn van Rensburg

E-mail: lynn@chessa.co.za

4. Simultaneous:

Ramlodie: Rista de Beer

E-mail: Rista@ramlodi.co.za

5. Waterkloof Academy / School for young stars:

Marissa van der Merwe

E-mail: merwew@mweb.co.za

6. International Tournaments :

Team manager 2008:

Kevin Jurius: Viëtnam

E-mail: kjcd@global.co.za

Team manager 2009

Madelein Hugo: St Lo

E-mail: chessmad@absamail.co.za "

Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk

Women's World Chess Champion

www.chessblog.com