South Africa's young chess stars make their mark at 2026 Olympiad - IOL
South Africa's Open and Women's teams at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Back row (L-R): James Dinham, IM Henry Steel, Dr Shaun Levitan, FM Banele Mhango, IM Caleb Levitan, Charlton Mnyasta. Front row (L-R): GM Kenny Solomon, WIM Anzel Laubscher, WCM Hayley Nel, Robyn Julian Klaasen, WFM Chloe Badenhorst, Sizakele Masango.
In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, far from the familiar chess halls of Cape Town and Gauteng, a quiet revolution took place on 64 squares. At the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, South Africa fielded its youngest-ever open team and a women's team spanning three generations.
They returned home on September 27, 2026, with two new international titles, major scalps against grandmasters, and a clear signal that the country's chess future has arrived.
The open team finished 82nd and the women's team 96th, competing in a field drawn from around 200 nations.
The five-player open team had an average age of roughly 20. Among them was 16-year-old International Master (IM) Caleb Levitan, who had already debuted at 14 in Budapest in 2024. Yet it was Charlton Mnyasta, a debutant from Elsies River, Cape Town, who seized the moment.
Mnyasta anchored the team with a 65% win rate. He secured 6½ points across 10 demanding games and earned the FIDE Master (FM) title.
To understand the gravity of his achievement, one must look at the opposition. Against 26th-seeded Italy and 44th-seeded Cuba, the young South African squad refused to fold, grinding out 2–2 draws in both matches.
In those clashes, Mnyasta, alongside teammates Levitan, IM Jan Karsten, and FM Banele Mhango, pulled off the unthinkable. Each of them claimed a victory over a seasoned grandmaster.
Guided by captain IM Henry Steel from Stellenbosch, the open team proved that youth was a weapon. They played without the intimidation factor that often holds back underdogs and turned routine wins for opponents into gruelling dogfights.
South Africa's youngest-ever Open team and a multi-generational Women's squad secure international titles and grandmaster upsets at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
On the other side of the playing hall, the women's team balanced youthful momentum with decades of hard-fought experience.
The squad was captained by Grandmaster Kenny Solomon from Mitchells Plain, a man who became South Africa's first grandmaster in 2015 and played in 11 Olympiads.
Under his watch, the women pulled off upsets, notably bringing down higher-seeded Costa Rica and Luxembourg.
The makeup of the team offered a fascinating dynamic. Woman International Master (WIM) Anzel Laubscher, playing her eighth Olympiad, first represented the country 28 years ago in 1998.
Beside her on the top board sat Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Chloe Badenhorst, playing her third Olympiad.
Sizakele Masango arrived in Samarkand uncapped and left with the Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title. While titles like GM, IM and FM are open to both men and women, FIDE awards separate gender-segregated titles to women.
Playing with fierce determination, she emerged as the top scorer for the women, racking up 6 points in 10 games.
Earning a FIDE title on debut is a massive feat, and doing it under the intense scrutiny of the Olympiad marks Masango as a serious talent to watch.
South Africa chess team, 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026, Samarkand Uzbekistan chess, South African chess players, Sizakele Masango, Charlton Mnyasta, Caleb Levitan, Kenny Solomon.
At the top of the standings, heavyweight nations traded blows. Host nation Uzbekistan claimed the open gold, while China dominated the women's section. For South Africa, gold medals were never the immediate metric of success.
Success looked like a young man from Elsies River holding his nerve against a grandmaster.
It looked like Masango earning her WFM title against the world's best.
As the chess world looks ahead to the 2028 Olympiad in Abu Dhabi, South Africa will arrive not just as participants, but as a squad capable of striking back.
