At just seven years old, Tiahna Njeri is already making her mark in the world of chess, demonstrating a level of concentration, discipline, and competitive instinct that belies her age.
While many children her age are still discovering their favorite games, Tiahna is busy calculating moves, anticipating opponents’ strategies, and building an impressive collection of chess accolades.
Her journey began unusually early when she was barely one and a half years old. Watching her parents, especially her mum Pauline Murithi, play chess at home sparked her curiosity.
Fascinated by the movement of the pieces across the board, she would often reach out to push them around, initially driven by the simple desire to imitate her parents. Her parents recognized the growing fascination and deliberately nurtured it, introducing her to the different pieces and their movements.
By the time she was just two years and a few months old, Tiahna could identify all the chess pieces by name. Her understanding of the game, however, came with some amusing childhood interpretations.
At one point, she believed that the light-coloured pieces were supposed to move strictly on light squares, while the dark pieces had to remain on dark squares. It was an innocent misunderstanding, but it offered an early glimpse into a young mind trying to make sense of the game’s rules and patterns. Rather than allowing her interest to fade, her mother took deliberate steps to develop her abilities.
With guidance from her personal coach, Mr Joseck Osoro, a renowned chess coach at Playstreet School in Lavington, Tiahna began receiving structured training to sharpen her understanding of the game. Her first major competitive test came at the age of five when she entered the Under-8 Girls category at a professional chess tournament held at Alliance Girls High School.
She performed well enough to qualify for the national competition, which was held at Kitale National Polytechnic in Kitale town, where she accumulated 4.5 points. It was an important milestone for a young player still finding her feet in competitive chess.
More importantly, it allowed her to test her abilities against other young players and understand the demands of tournament-level competition. On October 4, 2025, at just six years old, Tiahna claimed her first major chess trophy after emerging as the overall winner in the Under-7 Girls category at the second edition of the Brookhurst International Open Youth Chess Championship.
The victory was a significant confidence boost and an indication that her early introduction to the game was beginning to pay dividends. She followed this with another impressive performance at the 2026 Africa Under-17 Chess Championship Kiambu qualifiers, where she finished second, securing another podium position against a competitive field.
Her third major achievement came at the Kenya Under-17 National Chess Championship, where she finished third nationally. The result was particularly significant for Grandstart School in Ruiru, Kiambu County, which she proudly represented, bringing recognition to the institution through her performance.
More recently, Tiahna continued to demonstrate her growing potential at the 2026 KCB Open Chess Championship, held at the KCB Leadership Centre in Karen. Competing in the Open section against a wider and more experienced field, she finished among the top five competitors in her Under-7 category. For a player who is only seven years old, such consistency is encouraging.
Yet, for Tiahna and her family, the journey is about much more than collecting trophies. Her mum describes her as a sharp young girl who excels at whatever captures her interest. Chess has become one of those passions, offering an avenue through which she continues to develop patience, concentration, critical thinking, and confidence.
Although Tiahna has qualified for international competitions, she has not yet had the opportunity to compete outside Kenya. Other engagements have, in the past, prevented her from travelling to represent the country. However, the family remains determined to give her opportunities to compete at the highest possible level.
In early December 2026, Tiahna is expected to travel to Namibia for another international chess assignment, where she hopes to test herself against players from different countries and gain valuable competitive experience.
At seven years, three months and 15 days, Tiahna’s chess journey is still in its early stages. But the foundation is already taking shape, built on parental support, dedicated coaching, competitive exposure, and an unmistakable passion for the game.
