The black-and-white stripes of Brian Gatonye’s prison uniform match the pieces staring back at him from the chessboard at Kenya’s Maranjau Prison.
asserted
stripes → match → Prison
The 27-year-old has served about 18 months of a three-year sentence for assault and is due to be released in November 2027.
asserted
old → serve → November
During a break in the prison yard, he considers his next move: a pawn, perhaps, or a knight.
asserted
he → consider → move
The break isn’t long, but if he finishes the game quickly he may have time to face one of the skilled guards.
uncertain
he → finish → guards
But it is unwise to rush or act impulsively — in chess as in life, he has learned.
asserted
he → rush → life
“Chess has taught me a lot,” Gatonye said.
asserted
Gatonye → teach → lot
“It has taught me (about) being calm, choosing my decisions wisely.
asserted
It → teach → decisions
Before doing an act, I have to think first of what the repercussions are — and then I move.”
asserted
I → do → act
Gatonye is among a growing number of Kenyan prisoners who have taken up chess in recent years.
asserted
who → grow → years
The game has become part of rehabilitation programs in the country’s prisons, where officials and participants say it encourages patience, problem-solving and interaction between prisoners and guards.
asserted
it → become → prisoners
At Maranjau, which holds about 450 prisoners according to Superintendent Humphrey Young, some choose chess over resting or playing soccer during their free time.
uncertain
some → hold → time
They are drawn by the competition and what they say the game does for their state of mind.
asserted
game → draw → mind
“Chess has become one of our integral programs,” Young said.
asserted
Young → become → programs
“Some of the skills chess teaches our offenders as they reintegrate back to society is how they can improve their problem-solving processes, and how they can think around issues that affect them once they’re out.”
asserted
they → teach → them
Chess programs have operated in some Kenyan prisons since at least 2022.
asserted
programs → operate → 2022
The government has supported the initiative alongside the International Chess Federation, known as FIDE, Chess Kenya and The Gift of Chess, a nonprofit organization that distributes chess sets.
asserted
that → support → sets
The game is now played in all 134 prisons in Kenya, according to Phylis Ngigi, global outreach director for The Gift of Chess.
uncertain
game → play → Chess
Kenya participated for the first time in FIDE’s Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners in 2024.
asserted
Kenya → participate → 2024
Competitions are also held between Kenyan prisons, while some guards have been trained as chess coaches and play alongside prisoners.
asserted
guards → hold → prisoners
At Maranjau, Young said the games create opportunities for prisoners and guards to interact in a less formal setting.
asserted
prisoners → say → setting
Supporters say chess offers more than recreation.
asserted
chess → say → recreation
Responsibility and the ability to work with others are important elements of prison rehabilitation, said Monica Njoroge, a project officer at Resources Oriented Development Initiatives.
asserted
Njoroge → work → Initiatives
The Kenyan nonprofit runs farming programs in prisons, where participants tend communal gardens while learning agricultural skills that could help them find work after their release.
uncertain
them → run → release
Njoroge is not involved in the chess program, but she frequently visits Maranjau and has watched prisoners play.
asserted
prisoners → involve → Maranjau
“It is a game that trains patience and also having a clear mind in making decisions, being keen on what your next move is and the consequences that will come,” she said.
asserted
she → train → decisions
Kenya’s prison chess program has not been independently studied, and its long-term effects on behavior or reoffending are unknown.
asserted
effects → study → behavior
For the prisoners gathered around the boards at Maranjau, there is a simpler attraction: They enjoy the game.
asserted
They → gather → game
“It is a social game,” said Edwin Raj Walukaya, a 31-year-old prisoner.
asserted
Walukaya → say → ?
“It gives us friends and occupies our minds.”
asserted
It → give → minds
For Gatonye, chess has become something he hopes to carry with him beyond prison.
asserted
he → become → prison
“After being released, I hope to continue playing chess,” he said.
asserted
he → release → chess
“It brings peace inside my mind and heart.”
asserted
It → bring → mind
The Aporia
