As the 2026 chess season gets underway, the Namibia Chess Federation is stepping up efforts to develop and grow the sport across the country through administrative restructuring and digital innovation.
Addressing the media during the 2026 Namibia National Chess Open Championship Qualifiers held at the Nictus Cultural Centre on 7 January, the President of the Namibia Chess Federation, Berdian Beukes, outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the year. He emphasised that strengthening the federation's core structures is vital for long-term success.
"So if we can appoint a secretary general and at least two administrators that can actually manage chess in Namibia it will help with the growth of chess. The second thing we want to do is rolling out of a digital system a mobile app where everything is done electronically," Beukes said.
A key component of this vision involves empowering regional bodies to ensure the sport reaches more communities nationwide. By building local capacity, the federation aims to decentralize the management of the game and provide better training at the regional level.
"If we can strengthen our regional associations, you know at the moment we have a team in each region but if we can build capacity we can train them and help them to run chess within their regions," Beukes added.
However, the federation continues to face logistical hurdles, most notably a critical shortage of chess equipment. This scarcity has forced the organization to implement a rotating system to ensure tournaments can proceed across different zones, often shipping materials across the country weekly.
"Lack of chess equipment has been a challenge because what we do is we literally had to ship chess equipment from one zone to another zone. So this weekend it'll be in zone 3 in Khomas and then next weekend it goes to Karas... we send equipment all over the country," Beukes explained.
Despite these challenges, the federation remains supported by a dedicated community. Beukes expressed his sincere appreciation to parents for supporting their children both financially and emotionally, while also thanking sponsors and host schools for their continued partnership. Reaffirming the federation’s commitment to a successful 2026 season, Beukes encouraged more players to get involved, signaling a bright future for Namibian chess.