African Chess Lounge fielded five teams and 21 representatives at the Gene Louw Junior Team Championship on Saturday, 24 October 2026. Our U13 A team won the 15-team section with 9 match points and 16½ board points, finishing unbeaten with four match wins and a draw. Callan Manning and Joshua Nel each scored a perfect 5/5.
U13 B: Benji leads a spirited run to the final-round showdown
Led by Benji Whyatt on board one, ACL U13 B put together a strong tournament and reached a final-round meeting with ACL A. The team finished sixth of 15 teams, with 6 match points and 11½ board points, recording three match wins and two losses.
Benji led from the front with 3/5: two wins, two draws and one loss. Ayanna Hapsari contributed 4/5, including B’s point against ACL A in the final round, while reserve Raghav Nair made the most of his two appearances with 2/2. ACL A won their final meeting 3–1, but U13 B’s performance deserves recognition in its own right.
Well done to Benji, Marco Weyers, Ayanna, Giavanna Booysen and Raghav for representing ACL in the U13 B team.
Milestones across the academy
Both U9 teams delivered determined performances. Reuben also highlighted Abhinav Nair, Raghav Nair, Ontakane Sefoka and JF Louw for their first big-event experience.
Six moments from Gene Louw
From the playing hall to the stage, these six supplied photographs capture the event setting. Select a photograph to open it in full. Captions describe the visible scenes; no player identities, rounds or award categories are inferred from the images.
Explore the full interactive report
Follow all five teams, compare the round-by-round charts and explore the records of all 21 ACL representatives. The same six photographs are also available in the report’s interactive gallery.
Team results at a glance
| Team | Team placing | Match points | Board points |
|---|---|---|---|
| U9 A | 6th of 14 | 5 | 10½ |
| U9 B | 4th of 14 | 6 | 10½ |
| U11 | Joint 4th of 10 | 7 | 11 |
| U13 A | 1st of 15 | 9 | 16½ |
| U13 B | 6th of 15 | 6 | 11½ |
These are team placings, not individual board rankings. JF Louw’s reported 4/5 includes a forfeit win; the probable name match and unresolved U11 round-one attribution are explained in the interactive report. No rating gains or individual award categories are inferred.
Official results
Congratulations to every ACL representative, and thank you to the families and coaches who supported the players.
Observe. Learn. Practice.