Kenya to represent whole of Africa in Academy Chess Cup in Russia

Kenya will have the mandate of flying the African flag high as it is the only nation from the continent that has been invited to next year’s Intellect Academy Cup.

The six-day chess tournament is organized by the Russian Chess Federation and will be held from Wednesday 12 to Tuesday 18 February in Novokuznetsk, Kuzbass, Russia.

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Chess Kenya chairman Benard Wanjala said they will send five players to the event.

Those shortlisted to take part are African under-12 champion Jadon Simiyu, Eli Osidiani, the current under-11 champion, Mac Antoine Ishimwe, Gene Pence Barasa and Ariela Telo.

“This initiative aligns with our mission to create opportunities for young talents particularly those who excelled in our various youth events held last year,” he said.

Apart from taking part in a FIDE-rated youth tournament, participants will also be involved in exciting satellite events including Rapid and Blitz tournaments, puzzle-solving contests and entertainment.

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“This is a golden opportunity for our young chess stars to compete on the global stage, and we are excited to see them shine in this tournament,” said Wanjala.

Wanjala further thanked the organisers of the event for considering Kenya as one of the participants and said the players would benefit greatly from taking part in the event considering the quality of players who have also been invited to the tournament.

“It is a big plus for us. We have always desired our players to play against highly rated players in international tournaments because it helps them to increase their ratings, making them stronger,” said Wanjala.

The February event is just among the many international tournaments that Kenyan players will take part in next year.

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Also in the same month, Kenya will host the Africa Zone 4.4 regional tournament from Wednesday 5 to Tuesday 11 February at Utalii Hotel.

The tournament brings together participants from 12 countries in the region among them Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Somali, Somaliland, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

The tournament has a prize fund of Ksh500,000 for the winners both in the men's and women's categories.