South African junior team was the best on the medals table scooping 3 gold medals, four silver and three bronze medals. The team was followed by Egypt who also had three gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals. In third position was Algeria who had two gold medals and four silver medals.
Zambia had one gold medal and one silver medal. Botswana had one gold medal and three bronze medals, while Angola had one gold medal and three bronze medals. Namibia had a gold medal courtesy of Dante Beukes the former Fide Master who played in the under 18 category though he qualified to play in the under 16 category. His attacking prowess earned him the first Namibian International Master Title. Madagascar also had a silver medal while Nigeria had one bronze medal.
Nine out of the 16 countries took some medals which shows that the level of competition was very stiff. The distribution of the medals was very proportional showing that the level of competition has been improved. Long back the Egyptians used to dominate these competitions since their inception. WCM Refilwe Gabatshwarwe of Botswana won a gold medal in the under 14 category. Under 10 Laone Moshoboro won a bronze medal for the nation of Bostwana, Womana Fide Master Besa Masaiti won a bronze medal in the under 18 girls category. The last player to win a medal was the only boy who was an additional player for the under 14 Open category Musa Munyere also of the Francis Town School of Chess. For the Zimbabwean chess community the team failed to scoop a single medal WCM Rumbidzai Mawire finished fourth while the young Jordan Gweshe finished tied fifth in the under 8 boys category.
Two hundred and fifty participants took part in this edition of the African Youth Chess Championships. The age groups that took part are the under 08 Open which had twenty participants, Under 08 Girls had twenty participants, Under 10 Open had 25 participants, under 12 Open 35 participants, under 12 Girls 25 participants, under 14 Open 23 participants, under 14 Girls 17 participants, under 16 Open 21 participants, under 16 girls 13 participants, under 18 Open 22 participants while the under 18 Girls had 13 participants.
The Namibian Chess Federation put up a splendid performance as they managed to host the biggest ever Africa Chess Championships which had a house full of players from the 16 federations. The event was a nine-round Swiss with 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment per move. The tournament produced a lot of pulsating games from round one to the final round.
Of note were the young girls who played in the under 18 girls category who played above heir age group and these include the young Zimbabwean WFM elect Refiloe Hazel Mudodo, WFM Naledi Marape but some notable names of the African ladies future Champions. There was a fire on the checkered boards as the competitions got stiffer and stiffer with each progression round by round. The winners in each age group will were awarded personal rights to partake in the 2020 World Youth and Cadet Chess Championships which will take part in Mamaia, Romania, from the 7th-20th of September 2020, while the Cadet Chess Championships will be held in Batumi Georgia from the 18th-31st of October 2020.
The above is a comprehensive list of the players who won each and every category which took part in the AYCC in Windhoek , Namibia.The next edition of the African Youth Chess Championships will be held in Yaounde , Cameroun from the 4th -12th of July, 2020.