Published: September 16, 2026
MONROVIA — Liberia is sending 10 players to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to compete in the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, with experienced Olympians and promising young talents set to represent the country on the international stage.
The biennial tournament is scheduled for Sept. 15-27 at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre, bringing together hundreds of national teams from around the world.
Liberia’s 15-member delegation comprises 10 players, four officials and one accompanying parent. The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is funding the trip.
Liberia Chess Federation President Gonkartee Dekpah heads the delegation. Secretary General Wilfred G. Smith, Coordinator Kennedy Z. Kengo and FIDE Arbiter Melvin Weah are serving as officials.
Among Liberia’s most experienced players is Princess K. Banney, who will make her third consecutive appearance at the Chess Olympiad. Banney represented Liberia at the 2022 and 2024 editions and returns for this year’s tournament.
Thirteen-year-old Isabella Brisbane of Isaac A. David High School will make her Olympiad debut.
Brisbane was discovered through the Liberia Chess Federation’s Chess in Schools program, which paved the way for her participation in the 2025 Individual National Chess Championship.
Her selection to the women’s national team represents a major milestone for the young player, who will make her first appearance at the global team championship at age 13.
The women’s team, however, will be without three-time national champion Abigail Karyah, who is pursuing her studies outside Liberia.
Karyah was one of Liberia’s standout performers at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, winning her first five games for the country.
The Open team will be led by national champion David Leroy Debblay, who reclaimed the men’s national title in 2025 with 8½ points from nine games, including eight wins and one draw.
The 26-year-old won his second national championship in three years and also represented Liberia at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest.
The team includes FIDE Master Jacob Jallah, whose performance at Liberia’s Olympiad debut in Batumi, Georgia, in 2018 earned him the FIDE Master title.
Former national champion James S. Tondo, who also holds a National Arbiter title, will join Olympiad debutants William O. Wallace and Joe Wawoe.
Wallace is a former Africa Under-1700 champion.
Liberia’s Open team enters the competition with an average rating of 1,885.
The women’s team is led by national champion Georgina Sackie, who also represented Liberia in Budapest in 2024.
Sackie will be joined by experienced Olympians Kemvee H. Sambola, Meleh M. Davis and Banney, while Brisbane will make her debut.
Both teams have undergone intensive preparations focused on tactical awareness, strategic planning, opening preparation, calculation, endgame technique and performance under pressure.
The women’s team trained under Bobby Ballah, a three-time national champion, while the men benefited from training with Nigerian player Kennedy Onokpite and exposure to one of West Africa’s established chess communities.
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is expected to feature a record 1,971 players. Organizers list 208 teams in the Open section and 192 in the Women’s section, for a total of 400 teams.
The competition will consist of 11 rounds under the Swiss-system format, giving Liberia’s players an opportunity to face some of the world’s strongest chess nations.
Liberia’s Olympiad History
The Liberia Chess Federation received FIDE accreditation in 2016, and Liberia made its Chess Olympiad debut in Batumi in 2018.
Jallah, who played on Liberia’s second board at the tournament, earned the FIDE Master title. Liberia also finished second among West African countries after the 11th round, behind Nigeria.
Several members of the current delegation have represented Liberia at previous Olympiads, including the 2024 tournament in Budapest.
The Samarkand competition will give Liberia’s players an opportunity to gain international experience, test themselves against stronger opposition and raise the country’s profile in global chess.
With government funding supporting the delegation and the Liberia Chess Federation overseeing preparations, Liberia’s Lonestar teams head to Uzbekistan with a combination of experience, ambition and youthful promise.
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