Historic First as Cameroon Sends School Chess Team to Continental Championship in South Africa

By Angu Lesley

Writer kick442.com – Cameroon

Cameroon’s growing presence in school chess has received a major boost thanks to the vision of educational institutions that have embraced the game as part of student development. Among them is Collège Bilingue Privé Laïc La Grâce (CBPLG) Tsinga Oliga, one of the few schools in the country with an active chess club, a long-term investment that has now produced a historic opportunity on the continental stage.

The Cameroon Chess Federation (FECADE) has reached another landmark by sending a delegation of young players abroad for an international competition for the first time in its history.

A six-member delegation, comprising five players and a team captain, departed Cameroon on Sunday to represent the country at the FIDE-ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 – African Continental Stage, taking place from 6 to 11 July in the Cape Town area of South Africa.

Representing Cameroon is Collège Bilingue Privé Laïc La Grâce (CBPLG) Tsinga Oliga, whose school team earned the honour of flying the national flag at the inaugural continental event.

The delegation is led by captain Paul Aristide Fouda Tocko and includes:

* Marc Abraham Nathanael Fouda Besson
* Elie Mathis Kouokam
* Marthe Victoria Auriane Nzizoa
* Guillaume Zucher Kamdem
* Reserve player Fabien Stephane Sitamdze

The tournament brings together school teams from across Africa, with the top-performing sides qualifying for the World Schools Team Championship Grand Final later this year.

Beyond the competition itself, the trip represents a defining moment for Cameroonian chess. It is the first time in FECADE’s history that a team of young players has travelled abroad to compete in an international school championship.

The historic participation also reflects the renewed momentum within the federation under its president, Benjamin Didier Banlock. Barely months after assuming office, Banlock has steered the federation towards greater international engagement, placing youth development and global partnerships at the heart of his administration.

The South Africa trip is the federation’s fourth major international initiative under his leadership. It follows a development mission to Russia, where cooperation agreements were explored to strengthen chess development, a strategic visit to Kenya aimed at building regional partnerships and expanding opportunities for Cameroonian players and officials, and Cameroon’s participation at the African Individual Chess Championship in Botswana a few weeks ago.

The federation believes exposing young players to elite international competition is essential to accelerating the growth of chess in Cameroon. FECADE also hopes the achievement will inspire more schools to establish chess clubs, creating a broader pathway for talented students to compete nationally and internationally.

As part of that vision, FECADE is planning to launch a National Schools Team Chess Championship from next year. The competition is expected to feature primary schools, secondary schools and universities, with the winning teams earning the right to represent Cameroon at future editions of the African Schools Team Championship.

The initiative is expected to widen participation, encourage more educational institutions to invest in chess programmes and ensure that many more young Cameroonian players have the opportunity to compete on the continental and global stage.