I am very sad to annouce the passing of South African chess player and promoter, Stephen Skosana. More detail is still awaited but indications are that he had kidney failure.

Stephen better known as Crusher among the chess players was the Founder of the Hyena Chess Club in Joburg. The Hyenas Chess Club was a club with incredible depth thanks to the vision and hard work on Skosana. Crusher was a larger-than-life character whose vision was to take chess to all the people especially in the townships.

As Oom Piet Van Zyl said in Whatsapp group, whether you loved him or hated him, Crusher was one of the great characters of chess. The chess community is already much poorer without Skosana.

I wish his family, friends and the chess community in South Africa strength during this time.