Kenya wins silver to qualify for 2026 World Schools Team Chess Championship

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Kenya’s Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School has qualified for the 2026 World Schools Team Chess Championship after winning a silver medal at the Africa Schools Team Chess Championship held in the Western Cape, South Africa.

The Nyeri-based school produced an impressive unbeaten run to finish second on the continental stage. The Kenyan champions won five matches and drew three to collect 13 points, missing the title by just one point.

Uganda’s Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School claimed the African crown with 14 points, while hosts Welgemoed Primary School of South Africa finished third.

Moi Nyeri Complex earned the right to represent Kenya at the continental event after winning the Kenya National Youth Chess Championship.

The team lived up to expectations by matching some of Africa’s strongest school sides and securing one of the qualification slots for the world championship.

The runners-up finish means the young players will now represent Africa at the 2026 World Schools Team Chess Championship, which will be held alongside the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships later this year.

The tournament will give the Kenyan team a chance to compete against the best school chess teams from around the world.

The successful squad was made up of Patricia Wairimu Waweru, Trevor Kipngetich Waweru, Irwin Ndege Ndegwa, Davidson Mugo Waweru and Nathaniel Waithaka Itiru.

The team was guided by teacher Anne Mwangi, whose leadership helped the players remain unbeaten throughout the competition.

The achievement also highlights the role played by Rev. Fr. Benard Watoro in developing young chess talent in Nyeri.

Through the Quo Vadis Youth Hub under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri, Fr. Watoro has worked closely with Chess Kenya to use chess as a tool for learning, discipline and leadership among young people.

His efforts have gone beyond organising the Quo Vadis Nyeri Open tournament. He helped bring together university students and community volunteers to provide regular coaching sessions at Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School, creating a strong training system that has produced one of Kenya’s leading school chess teams.