Twin brothers from King David School excel at chess
GALLO MANOR – Caleb and Judah Levitan have achieved incredible success as chess players despite playing for less than two years.
A set of twins of King David School in Sandton have been ranked the top two chess players in South Africa in their age group.
Judah and Caleb Levitan, who are now in Grade 2, have been playing chess for little more than a year but have accomplished some incredible feats in that short time.
Their passion for chess was encouraged by their father Shaun who was also begun playing the game at a young age. He taught them the rules and basic strategy. At the beginning of this year, Clyde Wolpe, a former South African chess champion, began coaching the boys.
“The benefit of having a twin brother with the same interest is that they started to play against each other often. Within a few months, they had worked out winning techniques and could recognise patterns,” said Shaun.
The boys proved their potential and within three months of their first tournament they had earned provincial colours and were selected to play for the U8 Johannesburg Metro team in the South African Junior Chess Championships.
“The event is the largest sporting event in the country where 2 500 kids, representing their regions, play in teams against one another,” added Shaun.
“Caleb played board one, the strongest board, and Judah played board three. Both boys were undefeated over seven rounds and Johannesburg Metro won the U8A Championship division with a clean sweep against all other regions. Both boys won the board prize for the best participant on that board.”
The boys also competed in the South African Junior Closed Chess Championships which is one of the highlights of the junior chess calendar. The championships involve the top 30 players of each age group who compete against each other. Caleb and Judah competed over six days and excelled at the challenge.
“They were both undefeated over the tournament, having drawn against each other. Their results confirmed them as the top two chess players in their age group in the country and made them the only two recipients of their National Junior Chess Colours.”
The boys have been invited to represent South Africa in the Commonwealth Chess Championships in India, the Africa Youth Chess Championships in Kenya and the World Cadets Championships in Spain.
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