Rising chess star Zena Ibrahim displays her medals during an interview in Kisumu on May 1, 2026.
Zena Ibrahim, a 17-year-old student at Sironga Girls High School, is easily one of Kenya’s top young chess players.
She has dominated Nyanza regional competitions and represented the country in continental and global tournaments.
Zena, who has a FideE Standard rating of 1573, started playing chess in 2020 while a student at Golden Elite School in Kisumu.
Her first tournament was the regional championships in Kisumu, where she finished third despite being a rookie player at this level.
“It was actually my first tournament, so I was shocked. I didn't expect good results like that because I thought I was still weak and I was still a beginner just learning,” said Ibrahim.
She later joined the Victoria Chess Club, which has supported her career. Although she quit chess during the Covid-19 period, encouragement from her teacher, Mr Philip, pushed her back into the sport.
Since returning, Ibrahim has won all Nyanza regional titles from 2021 to 2026.
In 2021, she won the Under-13 girls’ category at the National Youth Chess Championship after defeating a Woman Candidate Master, earning a chance to represent Kenya at the African Schools Individual Chess Championship in Nairobi.
The following year, she did not participate in any event as she was preparing to sit her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations.
“I didn't do anything because I was a candidate, so I stopped playing chess and focused on my studies,” she said.
After sitting her exams, she resumed playing chess, turning to YouTube for lessons on the board game as she did not have a personal coach.
At the 2023 Nationals Youth Chess Championship, Ibrahim finished in a commendable third position.
Chess player Zena Ibrahim displays some of the medals she has won.
The same year, she travelled to Egypt for the African Youth Chess Championship after family and friends raised money to fund the trip.
In 2024, she won the Kenya National Youth Championship Under-16 girls’ title and qualified for the African Youth Chess Championship in South Africa.
Her performances earned her a place in the Chess Kenya Elite Camp under the Kenya Academy of Sports.
In 2025, she finished fifth at the African Schools Individual Chess Championship in Mombasa before representing Kenya at the Fide World Youth Championship in Durrës, where she finished 78th.
She later represented Kenya again at the African Youth Chess Championship in Harare, finishing 10th.
Apart from chess, Zena plans to pursue international relations and diplomacy.
She is part of a group of young Kenyan players excelling in the game, including 13-year-old Jadon Simiyu, Kenya’s youngest ever top seed and third Fide Master (FM) and 15-year-old Woman Fide Master (WFM) Elizabeth Cassidy Maina with a Fide elo rating of 1967.
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