African stage of World Schools Chess Championships to be held in Stellenbosch

The inaugural African continental stage of the World Schools Team Chess Championship (WSTC) — a team chess championship for school learners, will take place in Stellenbosch from 6 to 11 July.

Stellenbosch University will host the African qualifier of the championship, marking the first time Africa hosts one of the tournament’s official qualifying stages. It is one of four continental qualifying tournaments in Africa, Asia, America and Europe held throughout 2026.

The qualifying tournament in Asia took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in April. The qualifying tournaments in the Americas will take place in San José, Costa Rica, in August, and the European qualifying tournament in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, at the end September and early October.

The winners of these four continental qualifiers will advance to the WSTC Grand Final, which is scheduled to take place in December.

The championship will welcome school teams from more than ten African countries and showcase Stellenbosch as the host city for a major international youth sporting event.

Further milestone

The tournament represents a further milestone in the development of the international school chess system, which the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is implementing with Freedom Holding Corp. as one of the key partners of the event. Timur Turlov, the founder and owner of the company, serves as president of the International School Chess Federation (ISCF).

‘Queen of Katwe’

Among the distinguished guests of the event is the legendary chess coach Robert Katende. He trained Phiona Mutesi, one of Uganda’s first titled female chess players, who as a child, Phiona lived in Katwe, the slums of Kampala, Uganda’s capital, says Lilit Torosian from the International PR team of Freedom Holding Corp.

“Her life took a dramatic turn when she met Katende through a missionary programme and began learning chess. She went on to represent her country at four Women’s Chess Olympiads and attained the title of Candidate Master. Her inspiring journey served as the basis for the Disney film Queen of Katwe.” Torosian says.

Transforming the lives of African children

A total of 20 school teams from across Africa have registered for the tournament, and an additional 50 school students from South Africa will take part in associated social activities.

The WSTC aims not only to identify the winning team but also to demonstrate how chess creates opportunities for personal development and leadership skills.

During the World Schools Team Chess Championship, Katende will conduct an interactive session with the tournament participants and share real-life stories illustrating how chess can act as a social elevator for children and teenagers in Africa. This session is part of a broader social programme led by FIDE and ISCF, which positions chess as a powerful educational and social development tool capable of transforming lives.

Educational strategy

Among the event’s guests will also be Arkady Dvorkovich, currently president of FIDE, and Timur Turlov, president of ISCF and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

“They will engage with the tournament participants during an interactive chess session. Turlov is not only personally passionate about chess but also a sponsor of all stages of the global school championship. In 2026, his company, Freedom Holding Corp., and FIDE signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote children’s and school chess programmes,” Torosian says.

Over recent years, Freedom Holding Corp. has allocated approximately $30 million to support the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The company funds international tournaments, educational initiatives, and the training of young players.

Earlier this year, Freedom Holding Corp. acquired ChessBase, a German company and the largest developer of chess software and game databases. The holding company plans to invest around €5 million in upgrading the platform, integrating artificial intelligence, and expanding educational services for chess players worldwide.

A masterstroke of the knight

“Researchers from various countries have studied the impact of chess on children’s learning and have identified a correlation between regular chess practice and the development of mathematical skills, concentration and decision-making abilities,” according to Torosian.

“Turkish researcher Gülcın Karakuş, in her comprehensive review Chess and Education, analysed dozens of international studies on the influence of chess on children’s education. She concluded that chess helps develop concentration, memory, logical thinking, planning skills and problem-solving abilities.

“One of the most cited studies in this field was conducted by Giovanni Sala and Fernand Gobet. They reviewed the findings of 24 studies involving 5 221 children from different countries and determined that chess instruction yields a consistent positive effect on mathematical and cognitive skills. According to their assessment, children who regularly practised chess demonstrated better performance in solving mathematical problems compared to their peers,” she says.

Another major study, published in Sage Open, compared the outcomes of students with similar baseline abilities. Students who participated in official chess tournaments achieved mathematics scores of 30 to 50% higher than those of the control group. Improvements in reading scores reached higher scores of 10 to 20%.

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