Maseno picked for World University Team Chess Championship

Chess Kenya ( CK) has nominated Maseno University to represent Kenya at the third edition of the World Universities and Colleges Chess Championship, with stages that lead to the finals in Kazakhstan, August this year.

Speaking on the development on Monday while in Nairobi, the President of Chess Kenya, Bernard Wanjala, explained that 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.

“I have no doubt Maseno University has proved to be the best in Kenya, and we are giving it an opportunity to compete with the world’s best. We have made it clear that we expect nothing short of qualifying for the finals in Kazakhstan," Wanjala said.

The World University Team Chess Championship is organised in three stages, where the first stage is an online championship scheduled for May 9th this year, 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, 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.