Kenya scoops four gold medals at Africa Youth Chess Championships

The 2025 Africa Youth Chess Championships concluded on Saturday in Harare, Zimbabwe, with Kenya registering their best performance in recent years.

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After eight days of play at the Dominican Convent School in the heart of Harare, Kenya scooped a record four gold medals, two silver and four bronze.

This was a monumental improvement in comparison to the one gold medal the country won in 2024 when the event was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Nathaniel Manyeki emerged as the new African champion in the boys under-10 category after he won his last game against Angola’s Antonio Ronaldo.

With that win, Manyeki finished the competition with 8.5 points out of a possible nine.

This is his second continental title after he won the boys under-10 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. She won her last game against Longwe Nthanda to ensure the gold came home.

This is Amanda’s first continental title, and it underscores her dominance in local competitions.

The Kenyan girls completely dominated the under-14 category, where Elizabeth Cassidy was declared champion after collecting eight points.

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Teammate Fantalis Nduta won a silver medal after picking up seven points. Shukri Shakira, another Kenyan, narrowly missed out on the podium as she finished fifth on 6.5 points.

Another rare gold medal came in the boys under-16 category, where Cyprian Mbaabu clinched his first-ever continental title after finishing with eight points.

Mbaabu was delighted by his performance and said it would inspire him to do even better in future.

“It was a tough tournament given the field we were playing against. I look forward to an even better performance in future,” he said.

Winnie Kaburo settled for silver in the girls under-12 category. Davidson Mugo finished second 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).

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Apart from the medalists, there were also some good performances from a number of players.

Former under-14 boys champion Jadon Simiyu, who opted to play in the higher category of under-18, finished an impressive seventh position with 5.5 points.