Bilel Bellahcene and Shahenda Wafa are the 2026 African chess champions

by ChessBase
6/27/2026 – Bilel Bellahcene and Shahenda Wafa won the African Chess Championship titles in Jwaneng, Botswana, both prevailing on tiebreaks after close finishes. Bellahcene defended his open title after sharing first place with Bassem Amin on 7½/9, while Wafa claimed her fourth continental crown after tying with her sister Shrook in the women's section. Banele Mhango and Sasha Mongeli completed the podiums with bronze-medal performances. | Photos: African Chess Confederation
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Press release by FIDE

GM Bilel Bellahcene (Algeria) and WGM Shahenda Wafa (Egypt) are the newly crowned African Chess Champions. Bellahcene successfully defended his title, becoming the third multiple winner of the event (alongside seven-time winner Bassem Amin and four-time winner Ahmed Adly), while Wafa claimed her fourth continental crown, adding to her previous victories of 2017, 2018 and 2022.

The most important African championship in the open and women's sections took place at the Cresta Hotel in Jwaneng, Botswana. Both competitions were 9-round Swiss tournaments, bringing together over 100 of the continent's best players.

Open

The open event developed into a close race between the defending champion and top seed GM Bassem Amin (Egypt), who were jointly leading the field after round five with 4½/5 each. Bellahcene emerged victorious in their next-round clash and pulled ahead. Unfazed, Amin won three consecutive games and caught up with the leader by the finish. Both players totalled 7½/9 points and tied for first place, with Bellahcene clinching gold on tiebreaks (based on the average rating of opponents).

Sixteenth-seed FM Banele Mhango (Republic of South Africa) produced a minor sensation, earning bronze after edging out Dante M Beukes (Namibia) and Mariano Ortega Amarelle (Cape Verde) on tiebreaks

Bilel Bellahcene

Bilel Bellahcene | Photo:African Chess Confederation

Bassem Amin

Bassem Amin | Photo: African Chess Confederation

Amin 1-0 Solomon

Round 5

Final standings - Open

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Bellahcene, Bilel 7,5 2327
2 Amin, Bassem 7,5 2291
3 Mhango, Banele 6,5 2290
4 Beukes, Dante M 6,5 2240
5 Ortega Amarelle, Mariano 6,5 2186
6 Solomon, Kenneth Terence 6 2314
7 Levitan, Caleb Levi 6 2283
8 Mwale, Joseph 6 2242
9 Belouadah, Saad 6 2132
10 George Samir, David 5,5 2334
11 Felix, Raphael 5,5 2295
12 Kayonde, Andrew 5,5 2242
13 Silva, David 5,5 2198
14 Paiva, Donaldo 5,5 2176
15 Kaoma, Micheal 5,5 2173

...59 players

All available games

Women's

The women's competition turned into a family affair as the Wafa sisters – Shahenda and Shrook – both netted 7½/9 points to tie for the top position. Shahenda led throughout most of the event, but signed two draws at the finish, allowing her older sister and the defending champion to catch up. Still, it was Shahenda who captured the title on tiebreaks.

WFM Sasha Mongeli of Kenya delivered a solid performance of 6½/9, which brought her bronze and a 31-point rating gain.

Lina Nassr, Shahenda Wafa

Lina Nassr (Algeria) v. Shahenda Wafa (Egypt) ended in a draw in the penultimate round | Photo: African Chess Confederation

Final standings - Women's

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Wafa, Shahenda 7,5 2006
2 Wafa, Shrook 7,5 1916
3 Mongeli, Sasha 6,5 1945
4 Nel, Hayley 6 1940
5 Boshoma, Chisomo 6 1904
6 Paulo, Jemima 6 1902
7 Mohamed Zaki, Jana 6 1889
8 Nassr, Lina 6 1884
9 Djerroud, Chahrazad 5,5 1922
10 Banda, Natalie Katlo 5,5 1873
11 Tanaka, Dziyanyi 5,5 1848
12 Alaa, Dema 5 1976
13 Otimile, Maya 5 1959
14 Caxita, Esperanca 5 1941
15 Ayemou, Mazan Emmanuela Esther 5 1900

...44 players

All available games

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