{"id":30401,"date":"2023-06-21T12:41:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/the-chess-master-from-berea"},"modified":"2023-06-21T12:49:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:49:54","slug":"the-chess-master-from-berea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/the-chess-master-from-berea","title":{"rendered":"The chess master from Berea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>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\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody had ever seen or used it. The chess board was quite novel,\u201d recalled Phera.<\/p>\n

Out of eagerness to learn more, Phera and his friends fiddled with it, clumsily placing pieces on the board, but interest soon faded. \u201cI decided to keep it as a treasure.<\/p>\n

I had a feeling that one day it would be useful,\u201d said Phera. Later on in life after completing high school, Phera moved to Khubetsoana to further his education.<\/p>\n

He carried the chess board with him, a move he doesn\u2019t regret. \u201cI bumped into two lads who knew how to play chess but at a very basic level,\u201d said Phera, recalling how his love for chess restarted.<\/p>\n

He proceeded to study at the Lesotho Agriculture College in 2006. He didn\u2019t leave his chessboard behind. There he met people with a better understanding of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey broadened my exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201d But it was only in 2009 after enrolling at the National University of Lesotho that he got a better insight into chess.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost dismally at the hands of excellent players from Swaziland (present day Eswatini) and Botswana universities but it was a good learning curve,\u201d said Phera.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the games, the teams we played against made fun of us and asked what books we read before we came to the games.<\/p>\n

I replied that I read Chess for the beginners. \u201d It was a book Phera had once seen in passing on the shelves of the Thomas Mofolo library at the university campus.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cChess is a complete school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to read books. I was lucky to meet Mr Joang Molapo in 2012.<\/p>\n

He had stayed overseas and played chess at almost all levels. He\u2019s quite a good player and I managed to learn a lot from him. \u201d He said Molapo also gave them books to read on chess.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis 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. \u201d<\/p>\n

He later stopped playing chess at a competitive level and resorted to coaching after feeling that age had caught up with him. \u201cI thought it was high time I groomed Lesotho\u2019s future chess masters.<\/p>\n

People need to start at an early age and they need mentors,\u201d he said. He added: \u201cI formed a club known as KTA Chess Club in 2016 which is now a force to reckon with when it comes to chess locally.<\/p>\n

\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Last year they participated in the prestigious chess tournament in India which boasted elite players. \u201cPeople think that chess is a game for lazy people but that\u2019s not true.<\/p>\n

It takes energy and effort to make wise moves during a chess game,\u201d he said. \u201cIt can become strenuous at times and a single game can take hours. You will see players sweating from their seats,\u201d said Phera.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n

\u201d His desire to see chess grow in the country has seen him starting chess training programmes at different schools around the country.<\/p>\n

Unlike during Phera\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s mind. Then one day, his uncle who owned a grocery shop where Phera worked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":30400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[233,246,282,245],"class_list":["post-30401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-chess","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nThe chess master from Berea - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MOSELI Phera got to play chess at the highest level in the country, rising from an unknown quantity to a star. 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