7,242 players at Kenya Schools Chess!
Something amazing happened in Kenyan chess a month ago. Over 7,000 chess players from across Kenya gathered at Mang’u High School to compete in the Kenyan Schools Chess Championship. A fantastic sea of youth filled the halls as thousands of students came in columns of buses to compete in the massive tournament.
Ten years ago, Kenyan chess officials traveled the country distributing 5000 chess sets. There was Viswanathan Anand’s visit and also the 165km walk for SDGs. More recently “Chess in Slums” launched a nationwide campaign and featured local talent Bernice Wambui as its ambassador.
While Kenya has had its share of international controversy with “hijabgate,” at an otherwise flawless 2023 Kenya Open. Of course, national champions are still being gifted a new automobile and chess was even discussed on the parliament floor!
Given all of these milestones, it is evident that they have put in tremendous effort to market chess as an educational platform. The country is beginning to reap the benefits, and the success of the school’s chess championship is evidence. According to Kim Bhari of Kenya Chess Masala, players came from 880 schools.
Each player had to qualify in regional events, which saw more than 15,000 players competing for a chance at national glory. There was a debate on whether Kenya should have sought quality over quantity of players, as the qualification bar was said to be too low.
Some strongly felt that chess is still in its infancy, that there is no need for number restrictions, and that the two-point qualification mark is more than adequate. They pointed out that when kids go for the finals, there is an incredible sense of achievement and excitement when they attend a grand final with thousands of other kids. In turn, this brings more players into the game.
~Kim Bhari, Kenya Chess Masala
Kenya National Schools Chess Championship
The event should be considered a rousing success for Kenyan chess, as few tournaments in the world have been able to attract more than 7,000 players. By comparison, the famous “SuperNationals” in the U.S. attracts 6,000. The Kenyan event was a massive undertaking requiring 14 million Kenyan shillings (US$110,000). The logistical challenges of arriving in Thika make the event a fantastic accomplishment.
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