Hotel Worker Who Taught A Young Guest How To Play Chess Gets ‘Rewarding’ News

When Savasi Island Resort employee, Jope Koroivedre, taught a young Australian guest how to play chess, he didn’t know that a year lat­er, he’d receive rewarding news.

It was this message from the Ahmed family which was posted on the resort’s Facebook page that boosted his confidence:

Todays #PositiveNews story “We visited Savasi last year and we were looked after by Jope. During our stay he taught my youngest son how to play chess - we spent many afternoons playing. This year, Areff my youngest won the school championship, and he dedicated his win to ‘my friend Jope’.” Vinaka vakalevu to the Ahmed fam­ily for sharing.

The 44-year-old who’s worked in the hotel industry for 25 years said: “I really did not expect that what I taught would come back with great rewarding news.”

He said that the news of young Areff’s triumph boosted his spirit returning as a hotel worker after he was sent home at the height of the pandemic.

High school

Mr Koroivedre first learnt of chess when he was a Year 12 student in 1998 at St Be­des College in Savusavu.

He was taught by Master Apisalome who was from Wailevu in Savusavu.

Back then, there were ex­tra-curricular activities or­ganised by teachers such as music and board games.

What caught Mr Koroive­dre’s attention was chess, similar to draughts or checkers they played in the village.

But in the village they’d improvise with the check­ered board drawn on a card­board and bottle tops.

This intrigued his young mind to learn more about the game.

And because he was also a History student, young Mr Koroivedre did some research about it and its be­ginnings.

He would play chess with Master Apisalome.

He recalled that in their first game and second game, he learnt quite a lot given its tensity.

In the next rounds after that, he defeated his teacher. He said Master Apisalome told him to safeguard the game because it was good sport.

Work

Mr Koroivedre first began as a hotel worker in the Ac­tivities Department at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Savusavu.

In 2005, he got to know a guest from Australia who he asked him about chess.

He replied that he knew a bit from high school.

A friendship developed and the pair played chess. And every year the Australian who return to resort and they’d spend their days on the board.

This friendship sealed a trust between them so much so that the guest shared a se­cret skill that guaranteed a checkmate.

He worked at Cousteau Resort Fiji for 21 years and kept the secret to himself.

He then moved to Savasi Is­land Resort.

On an ordinary day at re­sort in 2019, he saw a young guest named Areff Ahmed.

He brought the board game to him and there began their exchanges.

“I played chess with the kid anyhow just because I saw he was a kid,” the father of three, from Nukubalavu, Nasavusavu, Cakaudrove said.

“He checkmate me, and I was taken by surprise and looked at the board again.

“I told myself that this kid’s got interest and is very intel­lectual. In our next game, I only made three moves and I checkmated him.

“He was so disappointed, that he went to his parents and told them. They came to me and asked me to help their son with the moves I made.

“I did not hesitate to teach him because I saw his inter­est.

“Areff then played with another visitor at the resort and won.

“He came back to me and told me that he would take with him the secret tech­nique that I had taught him.

“I told him to safeguard as it will be his weapon in play­ing chess.”

Mr Koroivedre thanked the Ahmed family for dedicat­ing the win to him and to his friend, Areff, he wished him well for the future.