Nine-time Kenya Chess Premier League champions Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) have selected nine players who have already departed for Botswana to compete in the 2026 African Individual Chess Championship, scheduled for 18–27 June 2026 at Cresta Lodge in Jwaneng.
The team will be managed by Isaac Babu, with Vincent Owuor heading the technical bench. Both emphasized that the championship is one of the premier chess events on the African continent, bringing together elite players from across Africa to compete in the Open and Women’s sections. The tournament will be played over nine rounds under the Swiss-system format.
“We are fully aware that we are up against some of the strongest players on the continent, including Grandmasters and seasoned champions. But we are not going there to participate. We are going there to compete, to challenge for wins in every round, and to prove that we belong at the very top of African chess,” said team manager Isaac Babu.
The KCB Chess Team will be represented by Joseph Methu, Woman FIDE Master Joyce Nyaruai, Candidate Master Ian Mutuge, Hugh Misiko, Woman FIDE Master Elizabeth Cassidy, Hawi Kaloki, Candidate Master Emmanuel Egesa, Woman Candidate Master Bella Nashipae, and FIDE Master Jadon Simiyu.
All eyes will be on Elizabeth Cassidy, the rising star and Under-16 continental gold medalist, as she heads into the African Individual Chess Championship, marking her as one of Africa’s most promising talents. She will be joined by FIDE Master Jadon Simiyu, the 14-year-old national champion inspiring a new generation.
The Open section is expected to be highly competitive and will feature Egyptian Grandmaster Bassem Amin, rated 2628, alongside elite players from Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The time control for the event is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move one. The Chief Arbiter is Stephen Ssemmango Kisuze.
The team also heads into the continental championship on strong domestic form. In the national league, the KCB Chess Team is currently sitting second on the table, despite having played fewer matches than its closest rivals.