The Namibia Chess Federation (NCF) hosted the 2025 Corporate Chess Team Challenge on Saturday, 11 October 2025, at Windhoek Gymnasium Private School. The event brought together corporate companies for a day of strategic competition, networking and charitable engagement, which raised N$44,000 for the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project. A total of nine teams, representing seven companies, participated in this year's edition: Bank Windhoek, SMEC Namibia, RMB Namibia, NamPower, Sanlam, PwC Namibia, and Green Enterprise Solutions.Defending champions PwC Namibia returned with confidence and enthusiasm. However, this year saw the rise of a new champion, RMB Namibia. Competing as RMB Knightly Kings Team A, who delivered a commanding performance to clinch the title. The newly crowned champions demonstrated remarkable consistency, inspired by a strong individual showing from Mitchell Howley Davids.
NamPower was also impressed with its disciplined and balanced approach, securing second place. In third place, Green Enterprise Solutions made an immediate impact in their debut appearance, spearheaded by International Master Dante Beukes. Special mention goes to Nicola Tjaronda from PwC Namibia, who also achieved a perfect score and won all her games.
The competition was conducted over seven rounds using a Swiss Team System, with each team comprising four field players and one reserve. The event featured live electronic chess boards, broadcasting games in real time on Lichess, a free and open-source online platform for playing chess. This approach allowed chess enthusiasts across Namibia and beyond to follow the action online.
Bank Windhoek's Corporate Social Responsibility and Sponsorships Manager, Audrey Mostert, highlighted the Bank's continued commitment to social development and corporate wellness. The Federation sincerely thanked all participating companies for their sportsmanship and support of this noble cause, the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) for covering the event, and Mariud Ngula from Sportswrap for providing post-event media exposure.
The Federation also extended its profound appreciation to Bank Windhoek, the official sponsor of the 2025 Corporate Chess Team Challenge, the Windhoek Gymnasium Private School for hosting the tournament in a world-class environment, and the organising committee, arbiters and volunteers.
Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project Donation Feature
The official launch of the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project has been strategically rescheduled to February 2026. This new date aligns with the peak apple harvest season, ensuring the highest quality apples and significant cost savings for the campaign.
In the lead-up to the 2026 campaign, the public is encouraged to continue supporting the initiative through the Bank's e-apple platform, available on the Bank Windhoek website. Additionally, a new voluntary donation feature has been introduced on the Bank Windhoek Mobile App, enabling customers to contribute from as little as N$5 per payment. All proceeds will be donated to the Cancer Association of Namibia as part of the annual Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project.
Since its inception in 2000, the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project has raised N$38.4 million for the Cancer Association of Namibia, significantly impacting the fight against cancer nationwide.
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