Over 1,000 participants from 77 schools are to battle it out for top honours in the Nairobi Schools Individual Chess Championship on July 20 at St. Mary’s School. The event will serve as qualification for the Kenya National Schools Chess Championship slated for August 2-6 at Nakuru High and Nakuru Girls’ High schools.
The newly-instituted Nairobi County Chess Association —led by the International Arbiter Anthony Kionga— seeks to give young talent an opportunity for transition to the national level. Kionga stated that the championship would be an essential stepping stone to ensure chess was part and parcel of education and instrumental in producing future champions of the sport.
The formation of county branches is in line with the Chess Kenya Federation’s compliance with the Sports Act 2013. The participants, whose ages range between under seven to under 17 years, have come from a number of schools: Aga Khan, Banda School, Brookhouse, Chess Ace Nexus, and Nairobi Chess Academy, to mention but a few.
To proceed to the nationals, a player should accumulate a total of at least two points. Kionga mentioned that this is possible using the Swiss system in which fair pairings will be attained; that is, equal points compete with each other. The player with the most points will be declared the champion.
This has been popularized by integrating chess into the co-curricular activities in schools, resources utilization in training, and also publicizing the game itself. According to Kionga, the high enrollment of chess participants in schools after the advent of CBC is an indication of an upward trend line towards embracing the game by many.
“We are elated to host this championship which pits immense talent within our schools and provides a platform for these young minds to progress to the national stage,” said Kionga. “Following the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum in our schools, we are happy to note that numbers have shot up, meaning more persons embracing the sport.”
The Nairobi Schools Individual Chess Championship does not only underscore the intellectual component lodged in young minds but also serves as a pointer to the relevance of chess in education, leading the way towards the production of future national and international champions.