Maseno University students set to compete in global chess tournament
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 05.05.26. | 13:00
The World University Team Chess Championship 2026, the first of its kind organised by FIDE, will bring together the finest university chess players from around the world
Maseno University have been selected to represent the country at this year’s World University Team Chess Championships.
The University emerged best at the third edition of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Chess Championships held last month in Nairobi.
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The World University Team Chess Championship is organised in three stages.
The first stage is an online championship scheduled for 9 May.
This will be followed by a knockout stage featuring the top 32 teams, after which the top 8 teams will qualify for the finals in Kazakhstan in August.
In addition, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) will nominate 8 extra teams to complete a field of 16 finalists.
Leading the Maseno University team will be the most decorated player, Rocky Muchiri, a back-to-back university champion.
He brings extensive international experience, having represented Kenya at the Africa Youth Chess Championship in Accra, Ghana; the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival in the UAE; and the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The World University Team Chess Championship 2026, the first of its kind organised by FIDE, will bring together the finest university chess players from around the world.
Speaking on the development, the President of Chess Kenya, Bernard Wanjala, said:
“I have no doubt Maseno University has proved to be the best in Kenya. We have made it clear that we expect nothing short of qualifying for the finals in Kazakhstan.”
Chess Kenya wishes the Maseno University chess team all the best in the championship."
Elsewhere, the third edition of the Kiambu Open championships will be held this weekend at Zetech University.
The tournament has a prize fund of Ksh165,00 with the open winner getting Ksh 40,000.
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The runners-up will earn Ksh 20,000 while the third-placed player walks away with Ksh 15,000.
In the ladies category, the winner will earn Ksh.30,000, the runners-up will get Ksh. 15,000. The third-best player will pocket Ksh 10,000.
There are also other special awards, with the best player from Kiambu earning Ksh 10,000.