Amon Simutowe
Encyclopedia
----
Amon Simutowe is a Zambia
n International Grandmaster
of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs
(FIDE) or World Chess Federation. He currently resides in Oxford, where he is studying for the MSc in Economics for Development.
However, his life was changed forever when he asked his brother Solomon (ten years his senior) to introduce him to the game of chess at the age of ten. After two months, his interest shifted completely to chess and he was playing his brother everyday. When his brother went away to study he would go around the neighbourhood looking for opposition to play and very soon he was the "unofficial champion of the neighbourhood", defeating opponents who were three times older than he was. At first his father was concerned about Amon Spending too much time playing chess as he imagined it would distract him from his academic interests.
He inherited the nickname "pawn", because he was the smallest chess player in his town. He found inspiration in the occasional setbacks. he would later say in an interview "The good thing about me was that I was not afraid of losing", he said. "When I lost, I found a way to not lose again. Many people would want to give up when they lose, but I was determined."
His brother saw a healthy appetite growing in his younger brother and he began sending young Amon chess books and the British Chess magazine from England. Since chess materials were hard to come by in Zambia, Amon studied these magazines voraciously.
He would later state in an interview on why he chose chess over football: "I didn't have anyone to blame in chess for my losses and I didn't have to wait until I was 18 to compete nationally."
Simutowe won his first tournament at age 12 . In 1994 He entered his 1st of three local tournaments. "I really didn't do very well, but was praised as the best young player… under 16", said Simutowe.
In 1996 he retained the National Championship as well as won the Junior National Championship. When reflecting upon his results in 1996, Amon stated that it, "appeared to be a great year for me." Later on he would state: "In 1996, I won the National Championship (Junior & Senior). I didn't expect to win this tournament... I was just interested in qualifying for the Olympiad." He qualified but the Zambian National team was unable to compete in the Olympiads. In 1997 Simutowe won the African Junior Chess Championship.
He earned the IM title at the 1998 African Zonal (zone 4.3) with the required 66% score and later went on to win the first of his two African Junior Championships in 1999 by 12/13 followed by an 11/11 score in 2000 during which he earned the moniker, "The Zambezi Shark" and became famous for repeatedly defeating his competition in Fischer-like fashion, winning tournaments by ridiculous margins. He also carried the Zambian flag abroad in the 2000 under-16 championship and beat Iran's Essam Ghaem Maghami who would later become a Grandmaster.
He then scored several notable tournament victories, including an equal 2nd at the 2000 World Junior Chess Championship
s in Armenia where he scored 8½/13. He scored 6½/11 in the British Championship
including a beautiful win against IM Colin Crouch. He represented Zambia at the 2000 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey and scored 8/10 on board one. For his effort, he earned a silver medal, 2 GM norms (2000 Olympiad, 2000 African Championships) toward the three to become an International Grandmaster and was named Zambia's "Sportsman of the Year" in 2001.
In 2002, he moved to the United States to pursue higher education after being awarded a chess scholarship. While a student at UTD, he helped the chess team win two national collegiate championships.
After earning a degree in finance and economics with high honours in December 2006, he embarked on a path to earn his final Grandmaster norm. After playing a number of tournaments in the U.S., he travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the 2007 Euwe Stimulus tournament, where he earned his third GM norm, and was awarded the International Grandmaster title.
In 2009, he won the South African Open.
Amon Simutowe is a Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
(FIDE) or World Chess Federation. He currently resides in Oxford, where he is studying for the MSc in Economics for Development.
Childhood and early career
Amon's mother died before his second birthday. His father and brother both share the same name, Solomon. While growing up Simutowe played football (soccer). He had originally set his dreams on being a striker for the Zambian national football (soccer) team after starring at the youth level. With his uncle having served as a coach on the national team and also having coached one of the top four teams in the premier division, football was a natural attraction to young Amon.However, his life was changed forever when he asked his brother Solomon (ten years his senior) to introduce him to the game of chess at the age of ten. After two months, his interest shifted completely to chess and he was playing his brother everyday. When his brother went away to study he would go around the neighbourhood looking for opposition to play and very soon he was the "unofficial champion of the neighbourhood", defeating opponents who were three times older than he was. At first his father was concerned about Amon Spending too much time playing chess as he imagined it would distract him from his academic interests.
He inherited the nickname "pawn", because he was the smallest chess player in his town. He found inspiration in the occasional setbacks. he would later say in an interview "The good thing about me was that I was not afraid of losing", he said. "When I lost, I found a way to not lose again. Many people would want to give up when they lose, but I was determined."
His brother saw a healthy appetite growing in his younger brother and he began sending young Amon chess books and the British Chess magazine from England. Since chess materials were hard to come by in Zambia, Amon studied these magazines voraciously.
He would later state in an interview on why he chose chess over football: "I didn't have anyone to blame in chess for my losses and I didn't have to wait until I was 18 to compete nationally."
Simutowe won his first tournament at age 12 . In 1994 He entered his 1st of three local tournaments. "I really didn't do very well, but was praised as the best young player… under 16", said Simutowe.
International Master to Grandmaster
In 1994 Simutowe won the nation's under-21 championship, later he caused a mild controversy when he was heard calling the reigning Zambian champion "weak." The Zambian champion then defeated Simutowe in their next chess encounter, but Simutowe was still not impressed and would get revenge by winning the National Championship at age 13 in 1995. Later that year he went on to participate in the African Junior Championships where he took 5th place.In 1996 he retained the National Championship as well as won the Junior National Championship. When reflecting upon his results in 1996, Amon stated that it, "appeared to be a great year for me." Later on he would state: "In 1996, I won the National Championship (Junior & Senior). I didn't expect to win this tournament... I was just interested in qualifying for the Olympiad." He qualified but the Zambian National team was unable to compete in the Olympiads. In 1997 Simutowe won the African Junior Chess Championship.
He earned the IM title at the 1998 African Zonal (zone 4.3) with the required 66% score and later went on to win the first of his two African Junior Championships in 1999 by 12/13 followed by an 11/11 score in 2000 during which he earned the moniker, "The Zambezi Shark" and became famous for repeatedly defeating his competition in Fischer-like fashion, winning tournaments by ridiculous margins. He also carried the Zambian flag abroad in the 2000 under-16 championship and beat Iran's Essam Ghaem Maghami who would later become a Grandmaster.
He then scored several notable tournament victories, including an equal 2nd at the 2000 World Junior Chess Championship
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
s in Armenia where he scored 8½/13. He scored 6½/11 in the British Championship
British Chess Championship
The British Chess Championship is organised by the English Chess Federation. There are separate championships for men and women. Since 1923 there have been sections for juniors, and since 1982 there has been an over-sixty championship. The championship venue usually changes every year and has been...
including a beautiful win against IM Colin Crouch. He represented Zambia at the 2000 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey and scored 8/10 on board one. For his effort, he earned a silver medal, 2 GM norms (2000 Olympiad, 2000 African Championships) toward the three to become an International Grandmaster and was named Zambia's "Sportsman of the Year" in 2001.
In 2002, he moved to the United States to pursue higher education after being awarded a chess scholarship. While a student at UTD, he helped the chess team win two national collegiate championships.
After earning a degree in finance and economics with high honours in December 2006, he embarked on a path to earn his final Grandmaster norm. After playing a number of tournaments in the U.S., he travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the 2007 Euwe Stimulus tournament, where he earned his third GM norm, and was awarded the International Grandmaster title.
In 2009, he won the South African Open.