Picture by Fred Lucas
I recently posted about Amon Simutowe getting his third and final GM norm. I first met Amon when I invited him to the NYC Mayor’s Cup in 2001. He is a good chess player and a very nice person. You can read more about Amon in a very nice article by Dr. Daaim Shabazz for ChessBase.
Click here to read it.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Well done Dr. Shabazz and Amon!
I have just watched an incredible game by Simutowe ( how does one pronounce that?)
Simutowe,Amon – Crouch,Colin [E44 = QID with Ne2]
You can view it in chessbase site: http://www.chessbase.com/news/2007/games/simutowe02.htm
Weldone Amon! I am myself a sub-Saharan African who learnt the game on the continent, was considered somewhat of a local progigy, but quickly faded out due to a lack of tournaments, books, human competition and training/mentoring needed to nurture talent.
I learnt the moves from a Britannica Encyclopedia (!), taught my classmates and siblings to play just so I could have opponents to play against :0( and won my first of two highschool tournaments without ever seeing/reading a chessbook, only later realizing that some “openings” which my friends and I had “invented” and were playing had all been previously well-documented in chess books. By the time I reached college, my interest had declined right down to only friendly blitz play at the chess club. Interestingly, I would later attend grad school in the U.S. and find that I was the strongest player at the university chess club!
Mr. Simutowe, I understand and can appreciate what you have achieved. The situation on many parts of the continent is not very favorable to make meaningful progress in chess. The top players in many sub-Saharan African countries find themselves playing against the same familiar hands through 5 years or more or playing against the same national masters every year. Very few new players that pose any serious threat emerge. Chess development at the grass roots is non-existent and most parents would prefer kids to do schoolwork than play chess because they see all board games only as entertainent for idle hands.
Again, congratulations Amon! Goodluck with hitting 2500.