2026 Somalia National Chess Championship
CM Mohamed Warsame Abdulkadir won the 2026 Somalia National Chess Championship with seven points out of nine rounds. He was also the proud winner of the 2024 edition of the Somalia National Championship with seven points from nine rounds and is currently the country’s top rated player at 2011.
CM Farah Ali Abdullahi was second with 6.5 points.
CM Mohamed Warsame Abdulkadir is no stranger to Kenya, as he won the 2024 Zone 4.4 Individual Chess Championship held in Nairobi in February 2024.
The event ran from 14th to 22nd May 2026 at Feynuus Bowling in Mogadishu and had 14 participants competing for the five Olympiad slots. CM Mohamed Warsame Abdulkadir, who won the event, and CM Farah Ali Abdullahi, who finished second, were among those who secured qualification.
The Olympiad will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in September 2026.
Game Corner
Final Standing
Chess Facts about Somalia
The Somalia Chess Federation was registered in 1987, and Mohamed Abudulla Mohamed is the current president.
CM Mohamed Warsame Abdulkadir is Somalia’s top-rated players, with an Elo rating of 2011.
The federation has only 16 registered players, according to the FIDE website.
Somalia has participated in four Olympiads (2002, 2016, 2108 and 2022).
Interesting facts about Somalia
Somalia has the longest coastline in mainland Africa, almost 3,025 km.
It has one of the highest fertility rates in the world. On average, a woman in Somalia will give birth to six children.
Madagascar got its name from Mogadishu. Legend has it that the Venetian Merchant Marco Polo mistakenly confused Madagascar with Mogadishu. He arrived in Madagascar and thought he had arrived in Mogadishu, and then he misspelt it, leading to Madagascar as we know it.
While most African countries have ethnically diverse populations, Somalia is one of the most ethnically homogeneous nations. 85% of the country’s population comprises of ethnic Somalis.
In ancient times, Somalia was where people from Egypt and Arabia bought Gum Arabic, Myrrh and Ebony Wood. The Ancient Egyptians used to call it Punt, which meant ‘God’s Land’.
The official language of Somalia is Somali, which is a Cushitic language. English and Arabic are also widely spoken and understood.
The Laas Geel Rock Art site in Somalia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features vibrant cave paintings dating back over 5,000 years, depicting everyday life and wildlife scenes.
The national flag of Somalia consists of a blue background with a white star in the centre. The blue represents the sky and the Indian Ocean, while the white star symbolizes unity and progress.
Mogadishu is the capital and largest city of Somalia.
Links
2026 Somalia National Chess Championship on chess-results.com.
2024 Somalia National Chess Championship – Abdulkadir Mohamed Warsame wins the title.
Mahad Dahir Muhumad crowned 2023 Somalia Chess Champion.
Abdulkadir Mohamed Warsame wins the 2024 Zone 4.4 Individual Chess Championship.
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Article by Kenya Chess Masala.