Kenya Chess Kid Shines at 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Sharanya Kishan Iyengar - Kenya National
Women's Chess Champion at 10

Chess does not make it to mainstream media in Kenya all that much yet. It's always nice to know when kids from a country like Kenya excel at chess. Here is 10-year-old Sharanya Kishan Iyengar. Not only does she happen to be the Kenya national women's chess champion, but she also performed well at the 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul recently.

She played Board 4 for Kenya and scored a very nice five points from nine games. She was undefeated in the last six games she played and earned the title of Women Candidate Master (WCM). She got a walkover in the tenth round, so her title comes from the previous nine games at the Chess Olympiad. 

We wish Sharanya good luck in her chess career. May she prove an inspiration to kids in Kenya. We hope to see Sharanya work hard and earn all the other titles in chess right up to the Grandmaster level. 

Also Read: Kenya Chess Kid Sharanya Kishan Winning Big

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Kenya Chess Kid Sharanya Kishan Winning Big

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hi everyone,

We just came across this interesting chess kid from Kenya. What's a 10-year-old girl doing winning the women's section of the Kenya Open Chess Championship 2012? Well, she is having fun. Sharanya Kishan - the Kenya U-10 chess champion 2012 - secured 8 points in nine rounds to win the title. The tournament was held from June 1-3 in Nairobi.

Sharanya Kishan (left) of Kenya

Chess is just beginning to develop in Africa. Kishan's performance at the chess tournament should be inspiring to hundreds of youngsters and children - particularly in Kenya - to go forward with their chess career.

Sharanya started learning chess at the age of eight and won the Girls U-8 category title at the Kenya National Youth Chess Championships in 2010. In the same year she represented Kenya at the World Youth Chess Championships - Halkidiki, Greece in Girls U-8 category and secured 6 points from 11 games.

Sharanya also represented Kenya at the World School Chess Championships 2011 in Krakow, Poland in Girls U9 category and finished joint 6th. In 2011, she won the Girls U-10 title at the Kenya National Youth Chess Championships and followed it up with a silver medal for Kenya in the Girls U-10 category at the African Youth Chess Championships 2011, at Lusaka, Zambia.

But, being good at chess does not mean you shut out the rest of the world. She manages to devote enough time to both studies and chess. In addition to chess she likes swimming, drawing, playing outdoor games with friends and occasionally going for a bowling session with her parents.

We wish all the best to Sharanya Kishan and all children of Kenya with their chess. Have lots of fun with chess!

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Some chess news updates from Africa

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Here is some quick chess news update from Africa. In one of the most dramatic chess afternoons, Sicilian Simbas managed to overcome a plucky Nairobi Chess Academy team during the penultimate match of the 2012 Nairobi Chess League at the Goan Gymkhana over the weekend. The stage was set for a major upset when 11-year-old Kais Mussa of Nairobi Chess Academy defeated rising star Njuru Mwangi of Sicilian Simbas on Board 3.

Sicilian Simbas held their nerves to overcome NCA 3-1 and then overcame fast improving Kenyatta University in the last round with a 3-1 score to win the overall title with 7.5 match points. In second place were Lion Kings with 7 points and Mating Zombies with 5.5 points. The eventual winner will take home a cash prize of Sh15,000. Second place will be worth Sh8,000 while Sh5,000 will be the third place reward. This year’s event attracted a total of 16 teams and was the third edition of this annual event which attracted some of the best players in Kenya. The event was partly sponsored by Farmers Choice Ltd who donated product vouchers.

Don't miss the names of the teams in the league!

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com