Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TAPIWA JELE has already moved on after his Zimbabwe Easter Chess Championship win in Masvingo.
In his mind, the next target is clear.
The 27-year-old is preparing for the Minerva Open in August.
After a strong run capped by that Masvingo triumph, Jele believes he is ready to go one better than last year’s bronze.
“I should win it. I won bronze last year and this time I am going to get everything right,” he said.
It is a bold call, but one backed by a season that has stretched him beyond the local circuit.
Jele has spent the past year testing himself against stronger opposition, first at the Africa Individual Chess Championships in Egypt, where he finished 13th, and then at the Russian Chess Crown earlier this year.
He does not dress it up.
The Russian event, he says, was “tense and intimidating”.
Those trips, though, have sharpened his approach. He speaks less about results and more about what he has taken from them — the small corrections, the discipline and the preparation.
“I have been working towards improving my game.
“I am sure that with the lessons that I learnt in Egypt and Russia, my game will continue to improve.”
That shift in mindset is starting to show.
Jele now carries himself like a player who knows where he wants to go next.
The targets are clear: International Master (IM) first, then Grandmaster.
He believes the gap is not as far as it looks. With proper sponsorship and structured preparation, he feels the IM title could come within a year, with a push towards Grandmaster status to follow soon after.
For now, though, reality sits alongside ambition. Away from the board, Jele admits he is “just hustling at the moment”, juggling the demands of everyday life while chasing progress in a sport that demands time, travel and resources.
That balance is familiar for many Zimbabwean players, but it has not slowed him down.
If anything, it has sharpened his focus.
At 27, Jele is part of a generation beginning to push beyond local success and test itself consistently on the international stage. His Masvingo win confirmed his form at home. What comes next will define how far he can take it. The Minerva Open is the immediate test. The bigger picture is already in his sights.
Bongani Ndlovu