Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School wins African Continental Chess Championship

Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School from Uganda impressed at the Coetzenburg Centre in Stellenbosch, South Africa, winning the African Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 (WSTC 2026) with 14 points on Friday.

The team, made up of top players from the Kamwokya Teens Chess Club and Academy (KTCA), met expectations by taking the championship gold without losing a match in the 8-round Swiss tournament.

They finished just one point ahead of Kenya's Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School, while South Africa's Welgemoed Primary School took third place. All three teams will move on to the Grand Final in December.

Ronald Wabwire, Daniel Odokonyero, Juliet Asaba, and Trevor Tumukunde were the stars for Uganda and their school, winning their opening match against Botswana's Curro Baobab Primary School 3-1, then registering a similar result against South Africa's Welgemoed Primary School in round two. Ronald Wabwire, Trevor Tumukunde, and Daniel Odokonyero all won their matches against Botswana's Balang Thabani, Mannathoko Mokhaya, and Seakgosing Abale Arona, respectively, while Elvis lost to Seakgosing Kgatontle as the inaugural championship on African soil started on Tuesday.

Wabwire and Tumukunde extended their winning ways against Welgemoed's Wolf Van Der Merwe and Charles Nel, respectively, while Juliet Asaba defeated Retief Albe, and Odokonyero lost to Adiaan Vlok. Uganda's perfect run continued in the third round, where they swept aside Namibia's Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool, winning 4-0, before Kenya's Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School's team comprising Davidson Waweru, Trevor Waweru, Irwin Ndegwa, and Nathaniel Itiru shared the spoils with Uganda (2-2) in the fourth round. Wabwire and Asaba won their matches against Davidson and Nathaniel as Kenya's Trevor and Ndegwa beat Trevor Tumukunde and Daniel Odokonyero.

The Ugandans then beat Zimbabwe's Budiriro 4 Primary School 3-1 in the fifth round on Thursday, before drawing 2-2 with Angola's Instituto Industrial. Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School and Kenya's Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School began the final day level on 10 match points, with five teams two points behind.

Round 7 kept the two leaders together. Uganda defeated Madagascar's Lycée Privé Hibiscus 4-0, recording their second clean sweep of the event, while Kenya beat Namibia's Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool 3-1. Both teams moved to 12 match points with one round remaining. Having already faced each other earlier in the tournament, they could not be paired again under the Swiss system. The title would therefore be decided in separate matches. The Ugandans beat South Africa's Holy Cross Primary 3.5-1.5 points to wrap up the championship.

Behind them, the contest for the third and final Grand Final place narrowed down to two South African schools. Welgemoed Primary School defeated Angola's Instituto Industrial 3.5-1.5 while Holy Cross Primary won its all-South African match against Virginia Preparatory School 3-1. With these results, both teams notched up 10 match points, two points ahead of a six-team group on eight.

In addition, Tumukunde and Asaba won individual silver medals on boards 2 and 4, respectively, while Wabwire won a bronze on board 1.

"I'm so humbled by this fantastic performance. I believe in my boys because we are the top seed, the best in the country, and the best in the region. These are kids from an academy in the ghetto, disadvantaged kids, vulnerable to all the problems that come with that. I trained them so that they can get the opportunities that come with chess. Chess is improving them; they are moving around the world, and I'm so proud that wonderful brains from such areas can serve our country and the entire world," coach Patrick Mukasa told the media after the event.

The event brought together 26 school teams from 22 countries, all competing for a place in the Grand Final at the end of the year, where the continental champions will compete for the title of FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Champion 2026.

In addition to the tournament itself, participants and guests took part in special educational and cultural programmes organised in line with the Year of Chess in Education 2026 initiative. The programme included masterclasses and lectures by leading chess players and educators, interactive workshops, and side activities that promote educational exchange and intercultural dialogue. The championship aimed not only to identify the strongest school team on the continent but also to promote chess as a powerful educational and social development tool.

The World Schools Team Championship 2026 cycle now moves to the American Continental Stage in San José, Costa Rica, from August 11 to 16, before the leading teams from all four continental stages meet at the Grand Final in December.