5 Rising Chess Nations You're Missing: From Uzbekistan to Nigeria

While everyone talks about India's dominance and Magnus Carlsen's legacy, a quiet revolution is happening across continents. From Central Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, these chess nations are rewriting the rules, and it's time you paid attention.

The chess world loves its familiar narratives. India's unstoppable rise. Russia's enduring legacy. America's super-GM lineup. But while the spotlight fixates on the usual suspects, something remarkable is happening in corners of the chess world that rarely make headlines.

These aren't just "emerging markets" or "developing federations", these are nations with compelling stories, prodigious talents, and infrastructures that could reshape global chess in the next decade. Here are five chess nations that deserve to be on your radar.

1. Uzbekistan: The Central Asian Chess Powerhouse

Why They Matter

Nodirbek Abdusattorov won the World Rapid Chess Championship in 2021, becoming the youngest ever World Rapid Champion at 17 years and 3 months, and the youngest ever open world chess champion in any time format, breaking the record held by Magnus Carlsen. In 2022, Abdusattorov played board 1 for Uzbekistan at the 44th Chess Olympiad, where his team won gold and he won an individual silver medal for his board 1 performance.

But Abdusattorov isn't alone. Beyond the board, he leads Uzbekistan's state-backed chess academies and mentors 200+ juniors in Tashkent's national program. The country is systematically building a chess ecosystem designed for sustained excellence, not just individual brilliance.

The Infrastructure

The Uzbek Chess Federation organized the UzChess Cup in Tashkent from June 19-27, featuring three invitational tournaments — Masters, Challengers, and Futures — as well as an Open tournament, following the model of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. This isn't a one-off event; it's a signal of ambition.

Why You Should Care

Uzbekistan is proving that chess excellence doesn't require a Soviet legacy or Western infrastructure. They're building their own model — state support, youth development, and home-grown tournaments that attract global talent. This is a nation that went from regional contender to Olympic champions in a generation.

2. Kazakhstan: Fresh Money, Fresh Ambition

The Game-Changer

In 2023, local fintech entrepreneur and one of Kazakhstan's wealthiest businessmen, Timur Turlov, became president of the KazChess Federation, bringing with him both resources and ambition. His vision? To make chess a symbol of Kazakhstan's intellectual capital and international prestige.

The Numbers

As of August 2025, the KazChess Federation counts 20,462 registered players, of whom just over 3,000 are women. Five Kazakh players are currently listed among FIDE's Top 100 Women, a testament to both talent and tradition.

The Rising Stars

Among the country's rising stars is 11-year-old world champion Alimzhan Zhauynbay, who won gold at the Fujairah Global Chess Championships in August 2025, and is a two-time world school chess champion.

Why It Matters

Kazakhstan is demonstrating what happens when serious money meets serious ambition in chess. Woman grandmaster Xeniya Balabayeva noted that before federation sponsorships, international tournaments were prohibitively expensive: "A few years ago, I covered all my expenses myself, it cost a lot". Now, players can train and compete without financial barriers, and the results are already showing.

3. Nigeria: The West African Dream

The Mission

Nigeria, with approximately 196 million people, has long had a tradition for producing talent and has in its ranks a cadre of International Masters looking to make the next step. There's even an initiative called "Go for a Nigerian Chess Grandmaster", an appeal for support to help build a training ground for chess excellence.

But the real story isn't just about titles.

The Grassroots Revolution

Chess master Tunde Onakoya founded Chess in Slums Africa in 2018, an initiative focused on kids in poor communities who are least likely to have access to education. The club has trained over 200 children and secured enduring scholarships for 20 of them.

In 2024, Tunde caught major media attention after breaking the record for the longest chess marathon, playing chess for 60 hours straight.

The Young Phenoms

Goodness Oday Ekunke is considered a phenom and was profiled at age 9 on Al-Jezeera. Meanwhile, 14-year-old IM-elect Tanitoluwa Adewumi's story as a Nigerian immigrant is well-known to the chess public.

Why This Matters

Africa celebrates its first grandmaster training center in Nigeria, with the Lagos facility having already identified five potential world-class players. West Africa has yet to produce a grandmaster, but with this infrastructure and talent pool, that's about to change.

4. Kenya: Building from the Ground Up

The Development

Chess Kenya Federation, established in 1976 under the Societies Act and formerly known as the Kenya Chess Association, has been at the forefront of promoting and organizing the sport of chess in Kenya for nearly half a century.

Youth Investment

Chess Kenya announced the departure of the Kenyan contingent for the 2025 World Schools Chess Championship in Serbia from March 19-29, comprising 24 talented players who excelled in the highly competitive Kenya National Schools Chess Championship 2024.

The Coach Making a Difference

James Kangaru was recognized in 2018 as one of the best chess coaches by the International Chess Federation, becoming Africa's youngest FIDE instructor. He's teaching the game to as many children as possible, trying to create the same impact countries like China, the US, and India have made through chess.

5. Egypt: North Africa's Quiet Giant

The Leader

GM Amin Bassem, with a peak rating of 2712, is the only African to surpass the 2700 rating mark. Balancing a successful chess career with his medical profession, Bassem's achievements are a testament to his extraordinary talent and dedication.

The Depth

Ranked 153rd in the world, GM Ahmed Adly is another giant in African chess, with victories in the African Individual Chess Championships across multiple years showcasing his enduring skill and competitive edge.

Egypt has quietly built the strongest chess nation on the African continent, with multiple grandmasters and a deep talent pool that consistently dominates African championships.

The Bigger Picture: Why These Nations Matter

India went from having just five grandmasters in the year 2000 to nearly 90 in 2025, with young stars rising faster than ever. That transformation didn't happen by accident, it happened through systematic investment, cultural embrace, and infrastructure development.

The nations on this list are following similar playbooks, adapted to their unique circumstances:

1. State support (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan)
2. Grassroots movements (Nigeria, Kenya)
3. Long-term institutional development (Egypt)

There are 46 countries in Africa with strong chess communities, according to the African Chess Federation, and since 2014, the continent has produced six new grandmasters in Algeria, South Africa, and Egypt.

What This Means for Global Chess

The chess map is being redrawn. The next generation of world champions won't just come from traditional powerhouses, they'll emerge from Tashkent, Lagos, Nairobi, and Cairo. They'll have different stories, different paths, and different motivations.

And that's exactly what makes chess beautiful.

The Real Lesson: Chess Doesn't Need Money — But It Sure Help

Here's what these five nations prove: chess doesn't need wealth to find talent, but it absolutely needs investment to develop it.

Look at the contrasts:

Tunde Onakoya teaches chess under a canopy in Lagos's floating slums. Kids with raw talent, no resources, and dreams bigger than their circumstances. Chess in Slums Africa has trained over 200 children and secured enduring scholarships for 20 of them, not because Nigeria is rich, but because someone decided these kids deserved a chance.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Timur Turlov pours millions into the KazChess Federation. Woman grandmaster Xeniya Balabayeva, who frequently represents Kazakhstan abroad, said that before federation sponsorships, finances were a major obstacle: "International tournaments are very expensive and it's really hard to afford, especially when you're paying on your own" . Now those barriers are gone.

Uzbekistan built a state-backed chess infrastructure that turned Olympic gold from a dream into reality. They didn't wait for talent to emerge by accident, they systematically cultivated it.

Egypt's Amin Bassem is a medical doctor AND a 2600+ rated grandmaster. He proves you can reach elite level even while juggling another demanding career, but imagine what he could do with full support.

What This Really Means

Chess is the ultimate meritocracy on the board. A kid from a slum in Lagos and a kid from a wealthy family in Moscow start with the same pieces, the same rules, the same 64 squares.

But off the board? That's where inequality shows up.

1. Can you afford a coach?
2. Can you travel to tournaments?
3. Can you access opening databases and training software?
4. Can you take time off work or school to compete?

The talent is everywhere. The opportunity is not.

That's why these five nations matter so much. They're proving different models can work:

1. Nigeria: Grassroots movements and viral social media attention
2. Kazakhstan: Private wealth invested in public chess infrastructure
3. Uzbekistan: State-backed systematic development
4. Kenya: Long-term institutional building and youth programs
5. Egypt: Individual excellence despite limited resources

Each path is valid. Each works. But all require one thing: someone deciding chess is worth the investment.

The Uncomfortable Truth About the Philippines

Remember Wesley So? Many promising Philippine players struggle due to lack of funding for future Olympiads, a dilemma that has been going on for years and forced Wesley So to play for the USA.

The Philippines produced a top-5 all-time great player. And lost him. Not because of lack of talent, but because of lack of support.

That's the warning these rising nations carry: Talent without infrastructure eventually goes elsewhere. Uzbekistan learned this lesson. Kazakhstan is learning it now. Nigeria is fighting to prevent it.

Why You Should Care

Because in 10 years, the chess landscape will look completely different. The nations investing now, in coaches, in tournaments, in youth programs, in removing financial barriers, will reap the rewards later.

Africa celebrates its first grandmaster training center in Nigeria, and the Lagos facility has already identified five potential world-class players. Those five kids represent Nigeria's future chess power, if the investment continues.

Kazakhstan's 11-year-old world champion Alimzhan Zhauynbay said: "I learned to play during the pandemic. Dad taught me and my brother. I liked it a lot. My main objective right now is to become an international master". With proper support, that objective becomes inevitable, not hopeful.

Chess doesn't need money to create talent. Chess creates talent in slums, in small towns, in places without electricity or internet.

But chess DOES need investment to develop that talent into grandmasters, into world champions, into the players who will define the next generation.

These five nations understand that. They're building different models, with different resources, in different contexts, but all with the same goal: don't let talent die from lack of opportunity.

The future of chess isn't just being written in traditional powerhouses. It's being written everywhere someone decides chess matters enough to invest in.

Stay tuned to ChessTV.com — because we'll be covering these nations as they rise, not after they've already won.

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1. Why Chess Favours the Young
2. World Cup 2025 Delivers Wild Round 2
3. Why the World Cup Feels Like the Most Democratic Event in Chess