Home Chess News 2025 Kenya National Schools Chess Championship

2025 Kenya National Schools Chess Championship

April 20, 2025

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2025 Kenya National Schools Chess Championship

The 2025 Kenya National Schools Chess Championship that ran from 4th to 8th April 2025 at the Mangu High School along Thika Road was incredibly successful. A record total of 7,242 players from 880 schools took part in what was most likely the biggest chess tournament in Africa!

Last year’s event saw just over 3,000 players participating, underlying the massive growth in Kenyan chess over the year.

With nine rounds, the event had several age sections. It included U7, U9, U11, U13, U15 and U17, with the winners eligible to participate in the 2025 African Schools Chess Championship with all expenses catered for by Chess Kenya. The 2025 African Schools Chess Championship will take place at the Pride Inn Paradise Resort and Spa in the coastal town of Mombasa, Kenya, from 22nd to 29th May 2025.

The main playing hall. Photo credit Kim Bhari. 2025 Kenya National Schools Chess Championship — The main playing hall. Photo credit Kim Bhari.

Regional Events & challenges

To qualify for the final event in Mangu High School, chess players had to play in the regional events held by their respective county associations and score a minimum of two points.

A total of approximately 15,000 players around the country took part in the regional competitions.

The low qualification mark of two points set by Chess Kenya elicited strong reactions on various social media platforms. Some insisted that Chess Kenya was right to spread the game amongst the masses, while others felt the qualification bar was way too low.

Some age sections have over a thousand players, and the nine-round event was not enough to get a clear winner. Others felt the finals should have a selected number of players or the best from each region.

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.

The event generated a considerable sum of money (approximately KES 14 million or USD 110,000), the bulk of which was allocated on organisational expenses, including venue rental, equipment, and arbiters.

It is never going to be an easy decision to make.