2025 REVIEW: A look into Chess Kenya's most successful year
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Reading Time: 4min | Mon. 05.01.26. | 16:39
In April last year, the federation hosted the largest ever youth tournament at Mangu High School, where 7,000 players took part in the Kenya National Schools Championships
The year 2025 turned out to be the most successful in the history of Chess Kenya, culminating in an amazing National Chess Championships where both the men's and ladies’ winners drove home with brand new cars.
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In April last year, the federation hosted the largest ever youth tournament at Mangu High School, where 7,000 players took part in the Kenya National Schools Championships.
For a tournament that used to attract just 300 players less than five years ago, attracting such numbers has seen the event come full circle.
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The growth has been fueled by a focus on promoting the sport at the grassroots level, where counties host regional qualifiers from where players are picked to take part at the national level.
Last year alone, a record 20 county associations held regional qualifiers, attracting more than 15,000 players from whom 7,000 qualified to take part in the nationals at Mangu High School.
In May, Kenya got a chance to host the Africa Schools Chess Championships in Mombasa. This was the second time the country was entrusted with the event, the first time being in 2021 when Nairobi hosted the tournament.
Attracted by the previous good organisation, 11 countries registered to take part in the event, including hosts Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Ghana, Madagascar, Namibia and Zambia.
As hosts, Kenya entered 630 players out of the 1,090 that took part. In the end, Kenya dominated the event and scooped a total of 17 medals out of a possible 36, of which seven were gold, five silver and five bronze.
The gold medalists were Faraja Mumo, who won the boys under-11 category, Naomi Wamwenje (girls under-9), Param Kavindi (girls under-11), Jadon Simiyu (boys under-13), Kyle Kuka (under-15 boys), Kaloki Zuri (under-15 girls) and Erica Muturi (under-17 girls).
The silver medalists were Breetalizah Amanda, Gilana Muthoni, Wayne Joe, Agnes Mary and Nathaniel Manyeki.
Bronze medals were won by Jaydan Kiogora Mwende, Gathoni Zuri, Riley Matingi, Nashipae Bella and Angel Kagambi.
Another success came at the Africa Youth Chess Championships (AYCC) held last December in Harare, with Kenya finishing on top of the continent out of 13 countries, winning a record four gold medals, two silver and four bronze medals.
Kenya’s performance in Harare was a marked improvement in comparison to the one gold medal the country won in 2024 when the event was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Among the gold medal winners were Nathaniel Manyeki, who emerged as the new African champion in the boys under-10. This was just Manyeki’s second continental title after he won the boys under-8 category in 2022 when the event was held in Zambia.
Breetaliza Amanda ensured Kenya’s dominance in the under-10 category after she won the event with eight points. This was Amanda’s first continental title, and at her age, she looks set to do even better in future competitions.
The Kenyan girls completely dominated the under-14 category, where Elizabeth Cassidy was declared champion after collecting eight points.
Another rare gold medal came in the boys under-16 category, where Cyprian Mbaabu managed his first-ever continental title after finishing with eight points.
Winnie Kaburo settled for silver in the girls under-12 category, while Davidson Mugo also claimed a silver medal in the boys under-12 category, earning his first-ever continental medal.
The bronze medalists were Davidson Ryan (under-12), Jayne Awuor (under-8), Gene Pence Mukhwana (under-8) and Fantalis Nduta (under-14).
For the first time ever, national champions in both the men's and women's categories drove away in brand new cars. Jadon Simiyu made history by becoming the youngest national champion after beating a strong field of 11 competitors.
At just 13 years of age, Simiyu’s win was not just historical but also saw the emergence of young players at the expense of veterans. The new women's national champion is Julie Mutisya, whose performance throughout the year has been outstanding.
Lastly, Kenyan teams featured in a record six international tournaments as the federation sought to expose local players. Apart from hosting the Africa Schools Chess Championships, Kenya sent players to the Africa Youth Chess Championships, Africa Amateur Chess Championships, Africa Junior, Africa Individual, World Youth, World Cadets and World Schools tournaments.
