Plenty of lessons for Kenyan players as World Youth Chess Championships ends in Albania
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 18.10.25. | 15:03
Kisumu-based Shukri Shakirah, rated 1708, was the best performing Kenyan after she finished in position 73 out of 107 players in the girls under-14 category
The World Youth Chess Championships concluded on the evening of Wednesday, 15 October, in Albania, with Kenyan players ending the event with plenty of lessons.
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One, Kenyan players travelled to Albania two days after the tournament had started, after a late approval. This means that they missed taking part in two rounds.
Secondly, the team did not have adequate training prior to their travel to an event that featured some of the best players in the world in the various categories.
Kisumu-based Shukri Shakirah, rated 1708, was the best performing Kenyan after she finished in position 73 out of 107 players in the girls under-14 category.
Shakirah is the girls under-14 national champion, a crown she won in Kitale during this year’s Kenya National Chess Championships play-offs.
In the same category, Elizabeth Cassidy, a former national champion, could only manage position 94.
The category was won by Russian Polina Smirnova, who was the highest-rated player at 2157. She finished on nine points and was followed by Rukiya Olimova from Uzbekistan, also with nine points.
Jemaicah Mendoza from the Philippines was third with 8.5 points. In the boys under-14 category, Kenyan player Christian Mugambi could only manage 3.5 points and was placed at position 136 out of 149 players.
Mark Smirnov from Kazakhstan collected 9.5 points to finish as the world champion in this category. He was followed by Hoachen Jiang from China, who collected 8.5 points, while Russian Artem Lebedev, on eight points, managed a bronze medal.
Diana Khafizova, another Russian, was declared the world champion in the girls under-16 category. Mombasa-based Genevieve Maashao, the only Kenyan representative, finished in position 98 out of 113 players after collecting four points.
Kazakhstan dominated in the under-16 open category, winning both gold and silver through Edgar Mamedov and Sauat Nurgaliyev.
Two Kenyan representatives in this category, Cyprian Mbaabu and Jesse Asin, finished in positions 125 and 141, respectively. A total of 143 players featured in this category.
The Kenyan team will return home on Friday after the 11-day tournament.
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