Africa-Press – Lesotho. MOSELI Phera got to play chess at the highest level in the country, rising from an unknown quantity to a star. Growing up in the hills of Ha-Maope, Lekokoaneng, in Berea, chess was the last thing on Phera’s mind.
Then one day, his uncle who owned a grocery shop where Phera worked part-time brought a chessboard among other entertainment items from his South African base.
“Nobody had ever seen or used it. The chess board was quite novel,” recalled Phera.
Out of eagerness to learn more, Phera and his friends fiddled with it, clumsily placing pieces on the board, but interest soon faded. “I decided to keep it as a treasure.
I had a feeling that one day it would be useful,” said Phera. Later on in life after completing high school, Phera moved to Khubetsoana to further his education.
He carried the chess board with him, a move he doesn’t regret. “I bumped into two lads who knew how to play chess but at a very basic level,” said Phera, recalling how his love for chess restarted.
He proceeded to study at the Lesotho Agriculture College in 2006. He didn’t leave his chessboard behind. There he met people with a better understanding of the game.
“They broadened my exposure.
” But it was only in 2009 after enrolling at the National University of Lesotho that he got a better insight into chess.
Soon, he was a competitive player and was chosen to be part of the university team that represented the university at the Intervarsity Games in Botswana.
“We lost dismally at the hands of excellent players from Swaziland (present day Eswatini) and Botswana universities but it was a good learning curve,” said Phera.
“After the games, the teams we played against made fun of us and asked what books we read before we came to the games.
I replied that I read Chess for the beginners. ” It was a book Phera had once seen in passing on the shelves of the Thomas Mofolo library at the university campus.
The contenders who beat them were amused and gave them materials to aid them in the learning of the game. They also suggested other reading materials for them.
“Chess is a complete school,” he said.
“You need to read books. I was lucky to meet Mr Joang Molapo in 2012.
He had stayed overseas and played chess at almost all levels. He’s quite a good player and I managed to learn a lot from him. ” He said Molapo also gave them books to read on chess.
“His play, from the word go, was far superior than ours. I got better and for the first time represented the country in Norway in 2014. ”
He later stopped playing chess at a competitive level and resorted to coaching after feeling that age had caught up with him. “I thought it was high time I groomed Lesotho’s future chess masters.
People need to start at an early age and they need mentors,” he said. He added: “I formed a club known as KTA Chess Club in 2016 which is now a force to reckon with when it comes to chess locally.
”
Phera started coaching the lads from a young age and now they have excelled to become national team players and are often dominating in number due to their fantastic performance.
Last year they participated in the prestigious chess tournament in India which boasted elite players. “People think that chess is a game for lazy people but that’s not true.
It takes energy and effort to make wise moves during a chess game,” he said. “It can become strenuous at times and a single game can take hours. You will see players sweating from their seats,” said Phera.
“It can become strenuous at times like in classic games which take about six to seven hours that you would see players sweating from their seats.
” His desire to see chess grow in the country has seen him starting chess training programmes at different schools around the country.
Unlike during Phera’s childhood years, chess has spread to all districts in the country. However, lack of sponsorship is inhibiting the growth of the game, making future stars shun the game.
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