Jayne Awuor will compete against fellow young champions from across the Commonwealth in the eight-day event, running from October 4 to 12 under the Malaysia Chess Federation.
The tournament is expected to draw a strong field of upcoming junior players from Commonwealth nations.
According to her coach, Esther Sanga, this will not be Jayne’s first outing on the international stage. Earlier this year, she won a bronze medal for Kenya at the Under-8 Championship in Uganda, competing against several other players.
Sanga said one of the biggest challenges in nurturing Jayne’s talent has been balancing schoolwork with training time, with extra hours often needed to make up for learning days lost to tournaments abroad.
Traveling for competitions has also meant time away from her parents at a young age.
Jayne’s mother, Agentta Ombudo, herself a chess player, has been one of her daughter’s biggest influences in the sport.
She said Jayne’s appearances in Zimbabwe, Uganda and now Malaysia have given her valuable international exposure, though balancing work, school, social life and chess practice remains a constant challenge for the family.
Jayne began playing chess at home at around age two, with both her parents involved in the game, before progressing to regional and now international competition.
The young champion says she has won more than 32 trophies across regional and international tournaments and hopes to build further on that record.
Her siblings have also been a source of support.
Her brother, Andericious Anindo, also a student at the school and a trophy-winning player himself, said he is confident about her future in the sport and credits her progress to her teachable attitude, adding that he regularly offers her guidance on gameplay.
