"VAN" (Sports Desk - 09.07.2026) :: On day two of the African Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 Rounds 3 and 4 were played at the Coetzenburg Center in Stellenbosch, reshaping the top of the standings. The two remaining teams with perfect scores, Uganda and Kenya, met in the fourth round and drew. By the end of the day, three teams shared the lead, although the mood inside the playing hall remained anything but heavy.
Energetic music greeted the players as they streamed into the venue, setting the tone for the day. Then, just before round three, Chief Arbiter Gunther van den Bergh made an unusual announcement: he asked everyone to rise for an anthem. The students stood, exchanging confused looks, before the opening notes of Baby Shark rang out across the hall. Laughter erupted, and the arbiters joined the children in performing the familiar dance moves.
Speaking as the round got underway, Van den Bergh, whose idea it was, explained that he knew how tense the opening minutes of a game could feel and wanted to help the players relax and settle in. He was onto something – when several young players were interviewed before the round and asked how they felt ahead of their games, the most common answer was “nervous”. Watching those same faces laughing and dancing only minutes before the clocks started was a sight to see.
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