I'm not surprised. I remember playing chess in Africa years ago and was amazed at the speed that some people picked up the game and dominated everyone else, including me, who at the time already had many years of chess experience. I believe chess is something that, if your mind is wired the right way, you can become really good at. But those people who were so good at the game back them - well, they still play, but they don't compete because, well there are no real tournaments, and the prize money is tiny compared to what other pursuits would bring.

There is a lot of ability to play chess with many people all over the world, irrespective of ethnicity, but there are just situations where people are born into, where being focused on such a niche sport means you cannot be successful in general.

It's the same problem that mathematicians face. When society is developed and most things already exist, some people will choose such narrow activities, but when it's a dog eat dog world, there is no time for that.

It's a shame the article doesn't mention how they got interested in chess

My three hopes for these kids are:

a) they manage not to become insufferable d-bags by the time they get to university

b) their parents don't drive them completely insane

c) they still love chess when they're 30

I can only assume it's stressful to be a prodigy in anything, and I could imaging the chess scene being particularly pressure-rich.

this is really encouraging. The image of African people usually vastly misrepresents their true potential. Great to see some positive news that casts some true light on the immense talents of these gifted people.