Path to Russia Chess Tournament

The Path to Russia Chess Tournament, held on 25th August 2026 at The Goan Gymkhana Club, ended with Peter Majur emerging victorious with 7.5 points out of 8, beating a field of 20 players.  He won KES 20,000 as the first prize.

Austin Walela was second with 6.5 points to go home with KES 10,000.

It is interesting to note that this was Peter Majur’s third consecutive victory in events organised by the Nairobi Chess Club.

The highlight of the Path to Russia NGO-sponsored event was that the top five players earned the right to play GM Yuriy Ayrapetyan of Russia in a simultaneous via the lichess.org platform.  Additional prizes included KES 5,000 if one could beat the GM or KES 2,500 for a draw.  The simultaneous event was dubbed ‘Can you beat a Russian Grandmaster?’

Due to technical issues, only four players took part, with Christopher Nduati managing to hold GM Ayrapetyan to a draw and receiving great accolades and congratulatory messages from the small but enthusiastic crowd at The Goan Gymkhana Club.

The event with 20 participants ran on a 10-minute plus 5 seconds per move time control for the first part and the simultaneous.

The event was sponsored by Path to Russia NGO, a grassroots community organisation working across 11 counties in Kenya.  Through cultural exchange, education, sport and digital skills, they help young people see further — and strengthen the bonds between Kenya and Russia along the way.