Online Reporter
Tendai Chara-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Paralympic games, which were held at Danhiko on September 23, 2025, opened doors and started a remarkable journey for two young chess players.
After sterling performances during the Paralympic Games, Presence Murove and Tapiwa Mvududu earned themselves tickets to represent the country at the on-going FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities.
The Olympiad, which began yesterday and runs until September 17, is being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
It is a global team event which brings together chess players with visual, hearing and physical impairments from around the world.
For Murove, a Form Six student at Cheziya High School in Gokwe, travelling to Uzbekistan fulfilled a long-cherished dream.
“It was my dream to travel by air and to represent my country as a chess player.”
“I did not think that the dreams will come true this early,” Murove said.
Mvududu, a Form Three student at Danhiko, least expected to make it to Uzbekistan.
“It all came as a big surprise. Representing my country is something that I will forever cherish,” Mvududu said.
In the past, school sport struggled to provide meaningful pathways for learners living with disabilities to progress from school-level competitions to national representation.
The emergence of Murove and Mvududu signals a changing landscape.
Blessing Jemani, a leading chess official, coach and certified International Arbiter who also heads the Zimbabwe Chess Federation’s Arbiters Commission, attributed the changing dimension to the partnership between the Zimbabwe Chess Federation and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
“The partnership has resulted in the introduction of chess at every school in the country.
“This has created new opportunities for talented learners with disabilities to participate and ultimately earn selection into national teams,” Jemani said.
For the entire week, the young players will share the global stage with some of the leading names in the sport, gaining invaluable international experience and carrying the hopes of their schools, provinces and country.
Cheziya High School has been in the forefront when it comes to the development of chess in schools.
The school has also created an environment which enables learners living with disabilities to participate and excel.
