The Aga Khan Schools in Uganda

The Royal Game

Throughout the history of chess, humanity has continually held a fascination with those rare individuals whose immense skill and talent at the game makes them deserving of competing against the best players in the world.

This is the case of Hamssadhwane Sivakumar (left), a Year 9 student at Aga Khan High School, Kampala (AKHS) who represented Uganda at the Africa Chess Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

Tournaments are no easy feat and require focus and determination, all of which Sivakumar demonstrated in the competition. A total of five national teams participated in the Africa Chess Championships, including the Ugandan National team. Sivakumar competed in four titled advanced master chess tournaments and performed extremely well. “It was a tough tournament with so much to learn. The tournament presented me with a great opportunity to challenge myself alongside other international students. It also taught me that no matter the obstacles, your passion, and interests can create endless opportunities,” says Sivakumar.

Prior to this tournament, Sivakumar participated in several national and regional tournaments in 2017, namely the African Chess Tournament in Zimbabwe and the Uganda National Open. In all these tournaments, Sivakumar excelled in her performance and was therefore selected to represent the Uganda National team in Cairo. Aga Khan High School congratulates Hamssadhwane on this achievement!