1. Introduction

The 2026 edition of the SA Open started today at the DF Academy in Bellville. DF Malan was formerly known as DF Malan High School but in the last two years underwent a name change. The school is one of the biggest in the Cape Area and loves their sport and academic excellence. This is the second SA Open being held here as the first one was held in 1999 and was won by 19 year old Kenny Solomon who not yet achieved his IM or GM title yet!

2. History of the SA Open

The South African Open is normally the biggest Swiss event in the country. Players ensure that they participate in the event and it becomes a pilgrimage to play in the SA Open. The first SA open was held in 1962. Keith Rust from Kwazulu-Natal has compiled a database of SA Open results which he has kindly allowed me to use in various books i wrote over the last five years. I have updated the database until 2025 and also included the CAPSA events and winners as well. This is the first time that such a database is being compiled. It is important historically that a database exists as there were two events in South Africa under the name SA Open. I will use the next week to highlight aspects of the SA Open.

The first SA Open was held in the Wilderness at the hotel there. This is a wonderful area. It is certainly a favourite of mine. When you drive on the N2 past George , you will see a newish mall on the left side. The road makes a curve and then you suddenly see two petrol stations on either side of the road. Once you have traversed the round- a- bout you will then see the sign for Victoria Bay. This is one of my favourite beaches and is a must see. The Olympian from George (Tokyo 2021) Bianca Buitendag surfed there and later brought back the silver medal in surfing while practising at Victoria Bay.

You now need to drive slowly as they are working on the road and the traffic fines quickly pile up if you do not keep to the speed limit. Then as you come up the Kaaimans Pass, you have the most magnificent view of the Indian Ocean. It is a stop you must make!

Then as you turn towards Wilderness the first turn left, you will see the outline of the Wilderness hotel. We recently since 2021 have started playing chess events again in this magnificent hotel . in 1962 the first SA open was held. The winners were professional players of some renown. IM Harry Golombek ( 1911-1995) was an English International Master. He won the British championship on three occasions and played for the English team on a number of occasions at Olympiads. He made many contributions to chess and during the Second world War he was recruited into the Government Code and Cypher School where he played a role in solving the German naval Enigma cipher.

GM Alberic O’Kelly de Galway ( 1911 to 1980) was a Belgian Grandmaster of Irish descent. One of his trainers was Akiba Rubinstein and after world war two, he belonged to an the extended world call. He won the third World Championship of Correspondence Chess and supported chess as an arbiter and author. ( Shaheed find a photo)

O’Kelly de Galway, Alberic – Friedgood,David [E20]

RSA Open ch I Wilderness (Wilderness Hotel), 1962

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 c5 5.d5 b5 6.e4 bxc4 7.Bxc4 exd5 8.exd5 0–0 9.Nge2 Ne8 10.0–0 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Ne4 d6 13.Kh1 Nb8 14.Bf4 Ba5 15.Qa4 Bc7 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bd2 Qd7 18.Qb3 Bd8 19.f4 f5 20.Ng5 Bxg5 21.fxg5 Nc7 22.Nf4 Qf7 23.g6 hxg6 24.Ne6 Nxe6 25.dxe6 Qe8 26.Bf4 Nc6 27.e7+ Rf7 28.Bxd6 Qd7 29.Rfe1 Re8 30.Rad1 Nxe7 31.Bxc5 Qc7 32.Bd6 Qb6 33.Qxb6 axb6 34.Bb4 g5 35.Rd7 Kf8 36.Kg1 1–0

The only game I could find from 1962 was the above. In the above position, black cannot move without dropping a piece.

In 1964 GM Lothar Schmidt (1928-2013) won the event with a score of11/11 which has never been matched! He was a German grandmaster (1959). He was known in chess for many things including being the arbiter at the 1972 Fischer- Spassky match. It was reputed that he owned the largest private chess collection in the world, as well as a renowned collection of chess art, chess boards and chess pieces. It was recently auctioned off in London.

Wallis,G – Tsalicoglou,Jacques [C56]

RSA Open ch II Wilderness (Wilderness Hotel), 1964

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nd2 Nxf2 10.Kxf2 Qh4+ 11.Ke3 c5 12.N4f3 d4+ 13.Kd3 Bb5+ 14.Nc4 Bxc4+ 15.Kxc4 Qe4 16.Nd2 Qc6 17.Kd3 Qg6+ 18.Ne4 c4+ 19.Kxc4 Qxe4 I am sure Jacques enjoyed this game tremendously. He enjoyed swashbuckling chess!

20.Re1 Qc6+ 21.Kd3 Qb5+ 22.Ke4 Qc6+ 23.Kd3 Qg6+ 24.Kc4 Qa6+ 25.Kd5 Rd8+ 26.Ke4 Qg6+ 27.Kf3 Bc5 28.Qd3 Qh5+ 29.Kf2 0–0 30.Kg1 Rfe8 31.Bf4 Re6 32.Re3 Rb8 33.Rh3 Qg6 34.Qxg6 hxg6 35.b3 d3+ 36.Kf1 g5 37.Bxg5 Rxe5 38.Bf4 Rf5 39.Rf3 dxc2 40.Rc1 Rxf4 41.Rxf4 Be3 0–1

Friedgood,David – Lewis,Simmy [B29]

RSA Open ch II Wilderness (Wilderness Hotel) (1), 11.05.1964

Awarded the Brilliancy Prize ... 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.Bd3 cxd4 8.0–0 Be7 9.Re1 0–0 10.Bf4 h6 11.Qd2 g5 12.Bg3 d6 13.exd6 Bxd6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Nxg5 Bg4 16.h3 Bh5

What should white play here?

17.Ne6! attacking the rook and also attacking the h6-pawn. fxe6 18.Qxh6 Rf7 19.Rxe6 Qf4 20.Bh7+ Kh8 21.Bf5+ Qxh6 22.Rxh6+ Kg7 23.Rxh5 Raf8 24.Rh7+ Kf6 25.Rxf7+ Rxf7 26.g4 Ne7 27.Bd3 Kg5 28.Kg2 Nc6 29.Re1 Kh4 30.Re6 Kg5 31.Kg3 1–0

GM Stahlberg was one of the original recipients of the Grandmaster title in 1950. Here is the heavyweight clash between the two grandmasters. He was born in 1908 and died in 1967. He was known as one of the three Swedish musketeers!

Stahlberg, Gideon – Schmid,Lothar [A53]

RSA Open ch II Wilderness (Wilderness Hotel) (3), 13.05.1964

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.e3 c6 5.Be2 Nbd7 6.Nc3 e5 7.0–0 Be7 8.Qc2 0–0 9.Rd1 Qc7 10.b3 Rfe8 11.Ba3 Bf8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Bxf8 Nxf8 14.Ng5 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 e4 16.Nh3 Qe5 17.Rac1 Ne6 18.g3 g5 19.Na4 Qf5 20.Kg2 what should black play here?

Qf3+ 21.Qxf3 exf3+ 22.Kxf3 g4+ 23.Kg2 gxh3+ 24.Kxh3 Ne4 25.Kg2 Rad8 26.f3 N4c5 27.Nb2 a5 28.Kf2 a4 29.bxa4 Rxd1 30.Rxd1 Ra8 31.Rd2 Nxa4 32.Nd1 Nb6 0–1

In 1966 Durban hosted the SA Open for the first time. Bob Griffiths won the event. Viktor Strugo informed me that Bob Griffiths came from England, and was in Rhodesia in the late 1950’s before moving to Johannesburg and is still there in his 90’s! He won two SA Opens 1966 and 1972 and won or placed high in many events in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was also famous for his time scrambles. Mr Griffiths is our oldest living SA Open champion!

Kostjoerin,A – Griffiths,Bob [C17]

Olympiad XVIII final C Lugano (3), 27.10.1968

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.Qg4 c5 6.Qxg7 Rg8 7.Qxh7 cxd4 8.a3 Qa5 9.Rb1 dxc3 10.axb4 what should Black play here?

Qa2! The rook is trapped! 11.bxc3 Qxb1 12.Kd1 Bd7 13.Nf3 a5 0–1

In 1968 Kurt Dreyer won the SA Open held in Sea Point, Cape Town. Kurt Dreyer was born in Germany in 1909 and died in 1981. Dreyer was SA Closed champion in 1937 (after a play-off). Dreyer won both the SA and Rhodesian Opens. He represented SA at the Olympiads in 1958, 1964, 1966 and 1970.

(2208) Dreyer,Kurt – Ribeiro,J (2300) [D02]

Olympiad XIX final D Siegen (11), 25.09.1970. RSA vs Portugal

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.c3 e6 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Bd6 6.0–0 Nbd7 7.Bg5 b6 8.c4 Bb7 9.cxd5 Bxd5 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.e4 e5 12.Nb5 Bb8 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Qxd8+ Kxd8 15.Rad1+ Ke8 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.f4 Dreyer has played a nice positional game and shows great technique to win.

Bd4+ 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Rxd4 Rd8 21.Rfd1 Rxd4 22.Rxd4 Ke7 23.Bh3 Bc8 24.Bf1 Be6 25.a3 Rc8 26.Rd2 Rc1 27.Kf2 Bc4 28.Bxc4 Rxc4 29.Ke3 Rc1 30.Kd3 Re1 31.Re2 Rf1 32.Kc4 a6 33.Rd2 h5 34.e5 fxe5 35.fxe5 Rc1+ 36.Kd5 Rc5+ 37.Ke4 Rc4+ 38.Kf5 h4 39.gxh4 Rxh4 40.Rd6 Rxh2 41.Rxb6 Rf2+ 42.Ke4 Re2+ 43.Kd4 Rd2+ 44.Ke3 Rd5 45.Ke4 Rd2 46.b4 1–0

So that was the first decade of the SA Open.

Today we started at 15h00 in the main hall of the school. The players played a blitz championship on Saturday. Some interesting games were played.