TANZANIANS have been encouraged to embrace chess, described as one of the world’s most unifying games capable of bringing people of different nations together and opening avenues of cooperation in economics, education, trade, science and technology.

Photo: Enock CharlesSpeaking during the Poland–Tanzania Friendship Chess Tournament held at the Polish Embassy in Tanzania last Saturday, Head of Mission of the Republic of Poland, Sergiusz Wolski, said the strong relationship between the two countries has enabled Tanzanians to travel to Poland and Poles to visit Tanzania through chess exchanges.

“This game brings people together, so I invite others to join in the fun. I know some chess players from Tanzania who travelled to Poland just for the game and later established relationships in other sectors,” Wolski said.

He added that beyond sports such as chess, Tanzania and Poland cooperate in various fields, including major projects like the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the expansion of Kilimanjaro International Airport, and education, with Tanzanians studying in Poland and Poles studying in Tanzania.

“Apart from sports, our two countries have cooperation in infrastructure and education, and chess plays an important role in strengthening people-to-people ties,” he noted.

Speaking on the history of the game, Chess Tournament Director Dr Konrad Czernichowski said chess gained popularity in the 19th century and was played in various European cities before spreading to other parts of the world.

“It is not a coincidence that this game is played in embassies because ambassadors and diplomats historically had a great opportunity to promote chess,” he said.

The winners of the tournament, played at the Polish Embassy, were Jordan Boksinski, Henry Marwa and Parsa Naser. Prisha Chheda received special recognition as the best female player, while Chael Noouidui was named the youngest participant.