Text: Kishan Iyengar
Photos: Satish Deshpande
A team of youth chess players represented Kenya in various age categories at the African Youth Chess Championships 2011 held at Lusaka, Zambia between 11th and 18th December 2011. South Africa, Egypt and hosts Zambia fielded some strong youth chess players and bagged most of the top honours. Kenya finished on an impressive note with 2 silvers and 1 bronze medal.
The Kenyan contingent with their mementoes
The medal winners for Kenya were:
- Krishi Shah – Silver medal in Girls Under-8 category (6.5 points out of 9)
- Sharanya Iyengar – Silver medal in Girls Under-10 category (8 points out of 9)
- Shefali Kachra – Bronze medal in Girls Under-10 category (6.5 points out of 9)
Prize winners (L-R): Sharanya Iyengar (holding Kenyan flag), Shefali Kachra and Krishi Shah
Kenyan youth chess players also did well in the Boys Under-10 and Girls Under-12 category as they challenged the eventual medal winners and played some strong chess till the last rounds. Kenyan chess players also recorded encouraging and impressive performances in other age categories.
Sanjana Deshpande (left) in her match against hosts Zambia