Image: AceMagashule/Twitter
Nowhere to go: Kasparov calls out Ace’s rookie chess move in ‘photo-op’
Suspended ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule’s chess move was mocked on Twitter by Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov.
Image: AceMagashule/Twitter
Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov took aim at suspended African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Ace Magashule after he shared a photo of himself playing chess.
Ace Magashule ‘chess-shamed’ on Twitter
The now-viral photo, which has been liked more than 10 000 times, was shared by Magashule on social media after he was suspended from the ANC last week.
According to TimesLive, Magashule can be seen playing white and trying to move a pawn that has no legal opening. It wasn’t long after that when a person with the Twitter handle, @starangKB, asked Kasparov what this strategy was called.
Kasparov did respond on Twitter, saying that he would call this the “photo-op opening” with a “rolling on the floor laughing” emoji.
Tweeps react and a possible explanation
Meanwhile, Business Insider SA reported that there is a possible plausible explanation for what’s happening on Magashule’s board:
“Magashule was captured in the act of completing his second move – which would mean that, against the tradition of the game, black moved first. That would not be entirely unheard of, even at the very highest levels of the game. In 2019, two champion players chose to have black move first, in what was described as an anti-racist statement.”
But this just left social media users confused: “I’m confused by this position, why did black move first?” said one social media user. “Chess-shamed… One of the greats weighs in on a clumsy piece of political theatre staged by South Africa’s (check-mated) @Magashule_Ace – newly suspended from @MYANC for alleged corruption,” said another. “Forget the endgame, it’s sure to be suspended…”
Others said that the whole thing is quite fitting.
Others called Magashule out directly.
“My chess memory a bit rusty but pro chess analysts have called Ace’s move either illegal or just plain dumb.”
Others are just living for the drama.
The situation made some social media user’s day.
