By Elizabeth Ngigi
Juja, Kenya – Bernice Wambui, 11 years old is a chess champion who has represented Kenya in various prestigious chess competitions both locally and internationally.
Bernice says her interest in chess started growing when she joined her current School. Her progress shot even higher during the covid-19 Pandemic when she had been actively practicing using online tools like chess.com, lichess, chess kid etc.
She is an active member of a club, Lighthouse, where she has been challenging herself in senior tournaments and playing in the national league. She also joined a club called, ‘HER MOVE NEXT’ during the pandemic. It is a US-based initiative by the ‘gift of chess’ which empowers young girls from all over the world into chess. She is an ambassador for that and she is now distributing chess gifts in the country at various schools.
She has also introduced over 25 girls in Kenya to the club coaches program and are being coached every weekend. The girls have also benefited from chesskid accounts where they self-learn online, do assignments and practice their chess.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Elizabeth Ngigi and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or Mobile Journalism Africa.
