Queen of Katwe’s gambit still in play for Uganda’s slum chess players

The famous chess club in Padu Ugandi’s capital, which became the focus of the Hollywood film of Queen of Katva, still produces champions – but they face the day-to-day survival struggle.

Launching the chess coach of Robert Katende, which actor David Oylovo in Disney films published in 2016. years, still believes that despite financial struggles, he manages to change the lives of children in better chess.

“We use chess as a teaching tool. In order to identify the potential of students and direct them to their destiny,” said G. Cathende visits the BBC visit to his somoric academy in Katve, the poor neighborhood of the campaign.

Shortly after graduation as a civil engineer, he first began to volunteer in Katve as a football coach before deciding on chess – launching one chess planks in 2004. years and determination to help.

Within a year, a nine-year-old Phiona Mutesi, who gave up on the school, joined – and continued to become a chess of Prodig.

She took over the title of National Female Junior Champions, competed in several prestigious international olympiations in chesses and up to 16. It got the Highlighted Magicamas that she emphasized World Chess Federations.

It was her extraordinary story told in the film, with the conqueror of Oscar Lupit Nion’o playing her mother.

Mr. Cathende says her success arrived from resilience and determination – and shows a really transformative force of chess.

Also, the inspiration of many players G. was still Cathends, including the 18-year patricity of coffee.

“In addition to conquering school scholarships, this game has learned me how to strategize and plan in advance and it encourages discipline and patience,” he told the double junior chess in the BBC.

She also represented Uganda on two international tournaments and earned money by winning chess competitions.

The prize money and sponsorships have enabled her to pay their own school fees as well as those of her siblings.

Mr. Cathende says more than 4,000 children passed through their programs in the last two decades, and some of them have completed doctors, engineers and lawyers.

His great reinforcement occurred after the book he published in 2012. A journalist of Crothos Team on Ms. Mutesi, they caught the eyes of Disney.

When the film company decided to progress and make a book in the film, it gave him a one-time grant of $ 50,000 (36,000 lbs).

This allowed him to buy a real estate in Katva to head his academy and from where he was the initiative of Robert Catende.

He managed to expand his chess club from Katvea in sessions in Ugandan prisons – and in the straw in neighboring Kenya and Rwanda, and those in countries, as well as Angool, as well as Angola, Botswana, Cameroon and Malawi.

It is currently in its programs more than 2,500 children and about 800 prisoners, who help them develop and make critical decisions.

“Chess is a life metaphor. There are challenges and surprises everywhere, but if you look at carefully you can find options, you can find your way,” 43 years old.

“A bad move in chess means you will lose, the same with life.”

The coach is one move, which worked on the movie of the movie Film as a senior story advisor and who trained actors in his chess scenes, did not predict.

Walt Disney lost in the film – and that had the consequences for his growing chess projects.

He, Ms. Mutes and the Chess Champion’s mother promised a magnificent share of any disney profit – 67%, he says.

But the corporation told him that after investing about $ 15 million (£ 11m in Drama, directed by Mira Nair, she gave only $ 10 million.

“The loss put me in a bad place because people think I hid some money,” said Mr. Cathende.

“Many people think I’m a rich Hollywood’s chess coach after film, but the hard truth is that we have yet to benefit from her profit.”

However, he says it is not bitter because the film announced its chess programs, attracting both domestic and international partners.

“If Disney didn’t do the movie, we wouldn’t be where we were; I don’t think we’d be famous – and many other people boarded support our philosophy,” he said.

The glory of MS MUTESIJA has helped obtain a scholarship at the Northwest University of the United States in 2017. years and now works in Canada as a business analyst and can support her mother, which returned to her mother village in front of Kampali.

But Mission G. Kateendes faces huge financial challenges because most of his partners fell down from the coronary pandemic.

“We had to reduce operations and close some training centers. I had 14 staff, but now we have eight. I’m afraid we could let go of more staff due to financial restrictions,” he said.

Thousands of his players in Uganda must only 120 chess committees due to lack of funds.

COMPLIANCE CURRENT JUNISH CHESH SHAH, 19-ANNUAL JOVAN KASOZI – One of the protected G. Katende – was also affected.

The chess chatend initiative in school and a teenager could have occasionally a master’s degree from some good desire for additional training training – but last year he missed an international tournament because he could not collect $ 400 for his air card.

“But I’m not giving up chess, my matches stimulates my mind and made me be very good at math. It thinks me like a computer,” Mladic said BBC.

Mr. Katunde is equally burdened, saying that it may be a long game when it comes to Disney.

“I hope it will turn to me if even a break,” he said, adding that the profit could come in.