What began as a childhood pastime at the tender age of four has been groomed into a competitive passion for Bulelani Stephen, propelling him to become a professional chess player who is set to make SA very proud.
Johannesburg, South Africa (23 May 2025) – Chess is a game of patience, calculation, pattern recognition, identifying strategic patterns and making sound choices under pressure, often with limited time. It’s not for everyone, but for 16-year-old Bulelani Stephen, it is everything!
He started chess as a leisure sport when he was just four years old, before falling into a competitively driven love with it and has since worked his way up to becoming a professional chess player.
With the help of his school, chess coaches, parents and siblings, chess is no longer just a fun pass time for the Prestige College learner, it is a lifestyle and a career he is steadily pursuing.
This driven board master has obtained national colours since he was 14. He has now, after an impressive run at the South African Junior Closed Chess Championship in Cape Town last month, been presented with the opportunities to represent South Africa this year at the Fide World Cadet Chess Championship, the African Youth Chess Championship and the Commonwealth Chess Championship.
These global chess tournaments are more than just competitions for Bulelani, they are crucial steps toward his ultimate goal of becoming an International Chess Grandmaster someday.
However, one hurdle stands in his way.
“I have to sponsor myself financially for all these events and cannot do it without your help,” he says.
To help fund his audacious chess dreams, Bulelani has launched a BackaBuddy campaign, appealing for support to help him seize these life-changing opportunities.
To support his ascent in the world of chess, visit Bulelani’s crowdfunding page here.
Sources: BackaBuddy
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