Khetho reflects on Olympiad exploits

Mmegi: What was the difference this time around, in terms of preparations for the Olympiad?

Khetho: We had individual preparations.  I had intensive training psychologically, physically and I had an active chess-opening repertoire. As a team, we were not fully prepared given that we did not have a coach and a reserve player.  It is very important to have someone (coach) orchestrating the team strategy round after round, like a shepherd to the sheep, a commander to the army.

Mmegi: Generally the Botswana team performed well at the Olympiad. What was the secret of success?

Khetho: The idea was to collect points against any team and we never suffered any 4-0 loss. In each game, we collected points. Having played with Ignatius Njobvu and Tebogo Pitlagano on many international team events, I feel that we have built a good working relationship, hence the good performance.

Mmegi: For the most part during the Olympiad, you were ranked in the top 100, which is a Botswana record. How did you take it?

Khetho: It brings a good feeling and somehow it is a sign that I have improved my game and can still go further. Learning is endless, the further you try to take your game the more there is to learn and you realise that the road is long and winding. To a certain level my rating intimidated my opponents, but chess players are generally never afraid to face any opposition. I prefer to concentrate on the game at hand and not my tournament standing. I always play for a win even with the black pieces.

Mmegi: Why did you fail to play in one of rounds?

Khetho: I had some health problems and I had to go to hospital then I took a rest afterwards.

Mmegi: Does the 75 percent score put you in a strong position to become an International Master (IM)?

Khetho: To be an IM you need to score 66.6% after playing with three IMs. I scored 75% but played against two IMs, which is not enough to make me an IM. But overall I finished 31st on 75% (7.5 out of 10) score in board one and 9th I board two. At the beginning of the tournament I was ranked 467th.

Mmegi: What was your weakness at the Olympiad?

Khetho: In round four, I made a positional blunder by allowing my opponent to swap-off my dark-squared king's bishop and I handled the middle game with less care, which could be a sign of fatigue. In round seven, I sacrificed two pawns for a huge attack but I couldn't finish my opponent off and I had to settle for a draw. Later that evening when I was walking back to the hotel, I replayed the winning variation in my head and I couldn't believe that I had missed a killer move like c3! In the last round, I also missed another winning move, which was going to give me material advantage. All in all, I have learnt that I need to build nerves of steel.

Mmegi: What should be done now to improve the performance at the next Olympiad?

Khetho: Mostly in chess, it is upon the individual to be highly disciplined when preparing for such games. As for chess teams, we need a coach.
I see a lot of talent in Botswana especially with the upcoming stars but without a coach, all will go to waste. Botswana stands a better chance to conquer the continent in chess if we have enough resources.
That will make us the great thinkers in the continent.

MMEGI: Is there anybody you would like to pay special tribute to

KHETHO: Thanks to you and thanks to all the people who stood behind the team. I wish to extend special thanks to Cinky Boikanyo for his analysis of my games and for believing in me.