SOM Chess Academy Nairobi

No child is dull; like a flower, each one opens up at the right time, revealing their unique beauty as created by God. Congratulations to our winners for their hard work and for embodying the spirit of teamwork! Together, we are , one move at a time."

Today marked another milestone as we hosted 210 players from our partner schools in Muukuru. A heartfelt thank you to the parents, teachers, and school directors for giving us the opportunity to serve these children as we share the love of Christ. Together, we are restoring their hope for a better future and transforming their lives through chess, one move at a time. Special thanks to for making this wonderful event possible!"

Today, over 200 junior players from Mukuru participated in the Mukuru Junior Chess Championship, where we not only fostered strategic skills through chess but also shared the gospel, trusting God for a larger venue and more chessboards to support our growing community.Thanks to ,and .

Grateful for the SOM Chess Team who qualified for the International Championship in Mombasa this 22nd to 29th May 2025.
Trusting God for the resources to make this happen.

SOM Chess Academy, affectionately known as the "Transformers," successfully participated in the regional qualifiers!.We managed to get three medals. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our players and coaches, an impressive 51 players have qualified for the nationals, which will take place from April 4th to 8th at Mang'u High School. Congratulations to each and everyone of them.

As we approach the New Year, I want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to for your incredible support of SOM Chess Academy. Thanks to your partnership, we have been able to grow our community to over 600 players, fostering not only skills in chess but also valuable life lessons.
What sets our academy apart is our unique approach of integrating chess with the gospel, which has been instrumental in restoring hope and transforming the lives of many young individuals. Your unwavering support has made this possible, and we are deeply thankful for your commitment to this mission.
As we look forward to another year of growth and impact, we wish you all a Happy New Year 2025 in advance. May the coming year be filled with joy, success, and continued collaboration.

Second week of the chess training sessions at Sports Outreach Cathedral community chess.The following are the sub-strands that we are teaching: 1.Center Memory: Players must remember openings, strategies, and past moves, which can help improve memory.
2.Spatial skills: Players use spatial skills to recreate the game in their brains and run through all the options before making a move.
3.Calculation: Players must calculate multiple moves simultaneously and figure out their outcome, which can help improve calculation abilities.
4.Focus: Chess requires total concentration.
Calmness under pressure: Players must remain calm under pressure.
Patience: Players must be patient.
5.Sportsmanship: Players learn sportsmanship.
Pattern recognition: Players learn pattern recognition.
6.Strategic thinking: Players learn strategic thinking.
7.Problem solving: Chess is a puzzle that requires players to solve to win, which can help improve problem-solving skills.
8.Creative thinking: Players must think outside the box to come up with winning strategies
The training sessions are ongoing and will end on 10th Dec 2024 with a Christmas party for all the participants.
Come and train with the champions. through chess one move at a time.
Thank you and your unwavering support towards this program.

During a one-hour session with young students, I typically instruct them for the first thirty minutes and engage in gameplay with them for the remaining time, often relinquishing pieces to teach them about capturing, and, naturally, allowing them to triumph. Following the sixth lesson with a five-year-old girl, her mother relayed that after the previous session, her daughter was notably subdued in the car. Inquiring about her demeanor, the mother was met with a thoughtful and troubled response: "I have competed against Mr. Josephat five times now and emerged victorious each time. I am beginning to doubt his skill level."🤣🤣Goodnight pals