Story of two teenage Kenyan siblings rewriting history after qualifying for World Chess Olympiad

The Kaloki siblings’ continued dominance in chess over the past four years has finally paid off after both Zuri and Hawi qualified for the prestigious Chess Olympiad.

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The two Kalokis have made history by becoming the first ever siblings to represent the country at this year’s 46th Chess Olympiad to be held in Uzbekistan in September.

Playing at the Chess Olympiad is the most prestigious accomplishment for any player, as it is the grandest tournament, bringing together a record 200 countries every two years.

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For 15-year-old Zuri, playing at the Olympiad was always a dream, and she is delighted that it has finally come to pass.

“My goal was to play in the Olympiad this year, and that is why I gave my best at the Kenya National Chess Championships,” she said.

Zuri started playing chess by chance as an eight-year-old at Brookside International School in 2017. She was introduced to the sport by former Chess Kenya President Githinji Hinga, who was a trainer at her school.

“We had a chess club in school, and that is what brought about the interest, but I was not so serious and played just for fun,” she says.

Her interest piqued in 2022 following a chance meeting with veteran coach Tom Amwai.

“Amwai saw my talent and encouraged me to take the sport seriously after exposing me to high-level training,” she says.

Just like Zuri, Hawi, 18, Kenya’s highest-rated player at the moment, also started playing chess by chance and credits Amwai's influence for his prowess.

“He saw my ability and talent and pushed me to be more competitive. Initially, I just played for fun, but after my interactions with the coach, everything changed,” he says.

In 2021, Zuri had an impressive performance at the African Schools Individual Chess Championship hosted in Nairobi, but it was not until last year that she claimed her first continental title, winning the Africa Schools event.

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It was also the same year that she won both the Kenya under-15 National Championships and National Junior Championships.

Winning the Kenya National Junior title earned her an opportunity to take part in the Africa Junior Championships held in Cape Verde, where she made history by winning a bronze medal.

That bronze proved pivotal as she earned her Women's Fide Master (WFM) title and also an International Master (IM) norm. She is the first Kenyan to receive such an honour.

Zuri also represented the country at the Africa Youth Chess Championships in 2024 in South Africa. She has played at the World Youth Chess Championships held in Brazil (2024), the FIDE World Junior Chess Championships in Montenegro and the World Schools Championships held in Serbia.

Having qualified to represent the country at this year’s World Olympiad, Zuri hopes to deliver an exemplary performance and understands that expectations will be high.

“We have a young squad and therefore expectations will be very high, but I'm ready to do well in the event,” she said.

Apart from Zuri, other members of the women's team are Sasha Mongeli, Julie Mutisya, Madelta Glenda and Nicole Albright.

For Hawi, being the highest-rated Kenyan player for the second year in a row did not come by chance.

“It is difficult to balance both school work and chess training. Being intentional and purposeful helps me to be wholesome as I bring some of the lessons from the board to real life, and that makes the effort worthwhile,” he said.

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Like his sister, Hawi looks forward to doing well at the World Olympiad, where he is taking part for the first time.

“I am excited to have made it to the Kenya National team that will represent Kenya at the Chess Olympiad and also be the recipient of the newly introduced Brilliancy Prize 2025. I look forward to a great year ahead,” he added.

Apart from Githinji and Amwai, the two siblings also credit veteran coach Ben Magana for their great performance.