1,000 Chess Sets Reach South Sudan
We never had such a number of chess sets in South Sudan. The number we received from The Gift of Chess is more than all chess sets combined in the entire country. I want to use chess to bring different tribes together as a tool for reconciliation. My name is James Panchol and I am The Gift of Chess Ambassador to South Sudan.
I learnt chess in the village when I was 10 years old by watching adults playing till I master how the pieces move. In my community kids were not allowed to play chess because there was a misperception that chess is for military…
In my culture kids were not allowed to play w/ an adult till you get promoted from a boy to manhood so I had to waited for another 3years to be promoted to manhood and then play with adults without restrictions again.
As the culture was concern I had no option than to wait for 3 years without touching a chess pieces or playing with adults. By then there was scarcity of chess boards so we used to drawn our boards using wooden timber with charcoal.
I was only lucky kid to learn a chess at early age in community. I won state level tournament by age of 15 and used that proceed to go to Uganda to again an access of better education.
When I was 19 after my ordinary level I won another national tournament & had opportunity to meet w/ national ministry of sport. Chess has helped me again to finance my undergraduate.....I am proud an accountant now because of chess.
With all these I had mentioned above it gave me a encourage to use the same tool to impact other people lives through the game of chess.
I believe there are those who are villages in all part of the country who I can helps through chess to change their lives and become better citizens of tomorrow..... I stand tall today because of chess......
I am trying my best to spread what I love. I believe some kids are in villages and had potential to Excel in chess like what I did....
I also wanted to use chess to bringing different tribes together as a tool for reconciliation. The conflict in south Sudan had made tribes to hate each other.