St. Anne’s Academy announced its arrival on the school chess scene in spectacular fashion after 13 learners secured qualification for the Kenya National Chess Championships during the regional games held at Kitale National Polytechnic.
Competing in organized school chess for the first time, the academy delivered one of the tournament’s standout performances, producing qualifiers across five age categories in a highly competitive field featuring schools from across the region.
The school’s charge was led by Jotham Bedda, Victor Bahati, and Trevor Rayan Mafura, who qualified in the Under-13 Open category, while Kayler Obare booked a place in the Under-13 Girls division.
In the Under-11 contests, Carlton Kipchumba advanced in the Open category, with Kayla Machio, Sybil Mary, and Blessing Ashley earning qualification in the Girls’ category.
St. Anne’s continued its impressive run in the Under-9 Open through Felician Niels Juma, Chris Emmanuel, and Jayden Jerry, while Gianna Nadine secured a national berth in the Under-9 Girls category.
The academy’s youngest national qualifier is Prince Neilan, who impressed in the Under-7 Open category.
Speaking after the competition, St. Anne’s Academy Principal Robert Wangila Masinde hailed the achievement as a historic moment for the school.
“I’m a very happy principal because of the performance of our learners. So far, 13 of them have qualified to go to the Nationals,” said Masinde.
He attributed the success to the dedication of the learners, the commitment of the coaching team, and the unwavering support of the school’s directors, whose investment in both academics and co-curricular activities has enabled learners to excel.
The remarkable debut signals St. Anne’s Academy’s emergence as a rising force in school chess, with the qualifiers now turning their focus to the Kenya National Chess Championships, where they will seek to build on their regional success.
