African Chess Confederation
| Sport | Chess |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Africa |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Lusaka, Zambia |
| President | Tshepiso Lopang |
| Official website | |
| africachessconfederation | |
The African Chess Confederation (ACC), also known in French as the Confédération africaine des échecs, is the continental governing body for the sport of chess in Africa. It is affiliated with the FIDE and is responsible for promoting, organising, and developing chess across its member federations on the African continent.[1][2]
History
The African Chess Confederation was founded in 1976 during the Chess Olympiad held in Tripoli, Libya, where representatives from eleven African nations met to establish a unified body to oversee chess on the continent. The founding members included Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Kenya, Madagascar, Libya, Uganda, Mauritius, Mauritania, Gambia, and Somalia.
Mr. Ridha Belkadi of Tunisia served as the provisional leader in the early years, and was appointed a Vice President of FIDE, forging a key link between African chess and the international body. Over time, the organisation grew from eleven founding members to a federation of 48 member associations.[3]
Structure
To manage the diverse continent, the ACC operates through a zonal system. These zones provide regional coordination and competition pathways for member nations. As of 2025, the zones include:
- Zone 4.1 (North Africa): Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania
- Zone 4.2 (West Africa): Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
- Zone 4.3 (Central Africa): Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe
- Zone 4.4 (East Africa & Indian Ocean): Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
- Zone 4.5 (Southern Africa): Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
These structures help the ACC coordinate continental activities, including zonal championships and regional development programmes.[4]
Events
The ACC organises and supports a range of competitive events across Africa:
- The African Individual Chess Championship, first held in 1998 in Cairo, Egypt, is the premier individual tournament on the continent and provides pathways to global events.[5]
- The African Youth Chess Championship, launched in 2009, focuses on nurturing young talent from member federations.[6]
- Other championships under the ACC umbrella include the 2024 African Online Championships, African Games chess events, and championships for people living with disabilities.[7]
ACC-sanctioned zonal competitions, such as the Zone 4.2 West Africa Chess Championship, serve as qualifiers for continental and world championships. For example, the 2025 Zone 4.2 West Africa Chess Championship in Lagos saw top players compete for qualification spots to the African Super Zonal and other events.[8]
Members
ACC membership comprises 48 national chess federations from across Africa. Each member federation is affiliated with FIDE and participates in zonal and continental competitions. Examples include the Chess Federation of Zambia, Chess South Africa, Uganda Chess Federation, and Nigeria Chess Federation.[4]
Presidents
Notable leaders of the ACC have included Ridha Belkadi of Tunisia (in the formative years) and more recent presidents such as Lewis Ncube and Tshepiso Lopang of Botswana, who has served since 2022.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "African Chess Confederation". Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "African Chess Confederation | UIA Yearbook Profile | Union of International Associations". uia.org. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "Chess Kenya History". Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Structures & Zones". www.africachessconfederation.com. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "The Week in Chess 210". theweekinchess.com. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "Annex 47 – African Chess Union / African Youth Chess Championship (2009 FIDE Congress)" (PDF). FIDE. Fédération Internationale des Échecs. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "Kenya enters 16 players for African Online Chess Championships | MozzartSportKe". www.mozzartsport.co.ke. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "Abdulrahman Akintoye and Toritsemuwa Ofowino win 2025 Zone 4.2 West Africa Championship". FIDE. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ "ACC Presidents". africachessconfederation.com. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
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