Jadon Simiyu poses displays his medal during a past chess competition
Kenya’s chess history has once again been rewritten, this time by 13-year-old Jadon Simiyu. The Grade Seven pupil at Moi Primary and Junior School, Kabarak in Nakuru, is now Kenya’s youngest top seed, and Fide Master (FM).
While he achieved the conditional FM title twice -- after clinching gold in the Africa Youth Chess Championship (AYCC) Under-12 category in South Africa in June 2024, and the 2025 African Schools Individuals Chess Championship (ASICC) U13 category in Mombasa in May -- it was only after his impressive performance in the 2025 Quo Vadis Chess Championship, held in Nyeri in June, that he officially secured the title.
Simiyu is now Kenya’s highest rated chess player, with an impressive Fide elo rating of 2132. Candidate Masters (CMs) Robert Mcligeyo, Ben Magana, and Ben Nguku follow with ratings of 2088, 2024, and 2008, respectively.
“It feels amazing,” quipped Simiyu on being both Kenya’s youngest top seed and FM. “I look forward to more tournaments where I will get to test my abilities against the best,” he said.
Previously, the youngest player to hold Kenya’s top seed position was Mcligeyo, who achieved the feat at just 17 years old in February 2023.
At the time, the reigning Kenya National Chess Champion topped the standings alongside veteran Magana with ratings of 2027 each.
Following the confirmation of Simiyu’s FM title early this month, Kenya now boasts of three players who have become Fide Masters in the history of the game. The others are veterans Martin Gateri and Stephen Ouma. The FM title is so far the highest achievement by a Kenyan in chess.
Grand Master (GM) is the highest honour in the sport, followed by International Master (IM), and then FM.
Chess Kenya (CK), the body governing the sport in the country, praised Simiyu’s remarkable achievement.
“We are very proud of him because what he has achieved is a huge milestone. He has worked hard for it,” said CK president Benard Wanjala.
Jadon Simiyu during a past Chess competition.
Although winning gold medal in either AYCC U-12 or ASICC guarantees one a conditional FM, the title is only confirmed after a player achieves a Fide elo rating of 2100.
In the 2025 Quo Vadis event, Simiyu scored an impressive 7.5 points in eight rounds, upsetting top players, including South Sudan's top seed Gong Thon Gong, and Garang Panthou Madol and Peter Majur Manyang, who went into the event ranked second and third, respectively.
Thanks to that outstanding performance, the Elite Chess Academy youngster gained a massive 127.6 rating points, pushing him past the 2100 mark needed to confirm the FM title.
In addition to hard work, he says support from various stakeholders, including his parents and CK was instrumental in his meteoric rise. When he is not playing chess, Simiyu is either solving puzzles or analysing top games played by grandmasters.
“It has honestly been tough, full of ups and downs, but I managed to pull through with God's help and guidance and help from my family members and the chess community ( Chess Kenya Federation, Government of Kenya, Chess Kenya Elite Academy, Equity Chess Club, Nakuru Chess club just to name a few),” said Simiyu.
“My training consists of puzzles, sometimes a few online games, and an analysis of top games played by grandmasters,” he added.
During a May 2024 interview with Mtaa Wangu, a Nakuru-based online publication owned by Daily Nation, Simiyu said chess was not his first love but football.
He learnt the sport from his elder brother at the age of five but took a five-year hiatus after losing in several championships.
Although he resumed playing chess in 2022, he almost gave up again after losing to a six-year-old while he was 10 years old.
“The qualifiers almost dimmed my chess spirit. However, my mom encouraged me to keep going. After this, the chess nationals to be held in Mombasa were just coming up, and I self-trained myself at home. It was at this event that I carded my first position at the under-10 boys and represented Kenya in Zambia,” he said then.
At their home in Nakuru, dozens of trophies and medals are displayed in the living room. Blue, red, and white striped medal holders surround the beautiful gold and silver medals the youngster has received for excelling at chess.
On Sunday, Simiyu told Nation Sport that balancing between school and chess was his main challenge. “Balancing between school and chess has been one of my toughest challenges ever since I started chess. I would find myself succeeding on one end and being deficient on the other, but with the help of my parents, coaches, and school teachers, I have managed to balance both,” he said.
Becoming Kenya’s youngest top seed and FM, he noted, has added fuel to his desire to remain top in the local standings and achieve his long-term goal of being an IM and eventually GM. Simiyu believes that with more sponsorship from both the national and county governments and corporates, more so to the marginalised, more talents like him will be unearthed in the game of wits. Recognition of chess and its inclusion as a sport in the school calendar, he said, will also be pivotal in nurturing more chess talents locally.
His advice to upcoming chess players?
“What I would say is work hard, focus on what you want to achieve, pray, and leave the rest to God,” he said.
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