14 Jul 2021

Women FIDE Master, Besa Masaiti, left for United States of America Tuesday to continue her studies on Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to do her first year online.

A beneficiary of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Elite Scholarship, Masaiti would join the Knight Riders Texas Tech Chess team during her three-year stay in the US.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Masaiti said she would be under the tutelage of grandmaster Alex Onischuk, a former US champion.

She said this was an opportunity to represent Botswana and her family, adding that joining Onischuk was a dream come true.

“God has opened the doors for me. My country is very receptive and supportive. Sometimes people call me just to assure me of their support,” she said.

Masaiti encouraged the youth to not give in to their background but work hard to achieve their dreams.

“We all have dreams, whether you are from a humble or wealthy background. Fight for your dreams, do not let your circumstances define who you will become,” she said.

She said her long term goal was to attain the grandmaster tittle and through hard work, resilience and dedication, she would make it.

Masaiti further said her stay in America would afford her the attention she needed to improve her performance noting that BNSC was working on getting her a personal coach.

“I am going to balance school and chess. I want to get a higher G.P.A while playing chess, win medals and improve my rakings,” Masaiti said. Ends