Kenyan prisoners play chess for fun behind bars and to help with rehabilitation

MURANG'A, Kenya (AP) — The black-and-white stripes of Brian Gatonye’s prison uniform match the pieces staring back at him from the chessboard at Kenya's Maranjau Prison.

The 27-year-old has served about 18 months of a three-year sentence for assault and is due to be released in November 2027.

During a break in the prison yard, he considers his next move: a pawn, perhaps, or a knight. The break isn't long, but if he finishes the game quickly he may have time to face one of the skilled guards.

But it is unwise to rush or act impulsively — in chess as in life, he has learned.

“Chess has taught me a lot,” Gatonye said. “It has taught me (about) being calm, choosing my decisions wisely. Before doing an act, I have to think first of what the repercussions are — and then I move.”

Gatonye is among a growing number of Kenyan prisoners who have taken up chess in recent years. The game has become part of rehabilitation programs in the country’s prisons, where officials and participants say it encourages patience, problem-solving and interaction between prisoners and guards.

At Maranjau, which holds about 450 prisoners according to Superintendent Humphrey Young, some choose chess over resting or playing soccer during their free time. They are drawn by the competition and what they say the game does for their state of mind.

“Chess has become one of our integral programs,” Young said. “Some of the skills chess teaches our offenders as they reintegrate back to society is how they can improve their problem-solving processes, and how they can think around issues that affect them once they’re out.”

Chess programs have operated in some Kenyan prisons since at least 2022. The government has supported the initiative alongside the International Chess Federation, known as FIDE, Chess Kenya and The Gift of Chess, a nonprofit organization that distributes chess sets.

The game is now played in all 134 prisons in Kenya, according to Phylis Ngigi, global outreach director for The Gift of Chess.

Kenya participated for the first time in FIDE’s Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners in 2024. Competitions are also held between Kenyan prisons, while some guards have been trained as chess coaches and play alongside prisoners.

At Maranjau, Young said the games create opportunities for prisoners and guards to interact in a less formal setting.

Supporters say chess offers more than recreation. Responsibility and the ability to work with others are important elements of prison rehabilitation, said Monica Njoroge, a project officer at Resources Oriented Development Initiatives.

The Kenyan nonprofit runs farming programs in prisons, where participants tend communal gardens while learning agricultural skills that could help them find work after their release.

Njoroge is not involved in the chess program, but she frequently visits Maranjau and has watched prisoners play.

“It is a game that trains patience and also having a clear mind in making decisions, being keen on what your next move is and the consequences that will come,” she said.

Kenya’s prison chess program has not been independently studied, and its long-term effects on behavior or reoffending are unknown.

For the prisoners gathered around the boards at Maranjau, there is a simpler attraction: They enjoy the game.

“It is a social game,” said Edwin Raj Walukaya, a 31-year-old prisoner. “It gives us friends and occupies our minds.”

For Gatonye, chess has become something he hopes to carry with him beyond prison.

“After being released, I hope to continue playing chess,” he said. “It brings peace inside my mind and heart.”

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Kenyan prisoners play chess under the supervision of a prison officer at Maranjau Prison in Murang'a, Kenya, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

A prison guard stands guard at Maranjau Prison in Murang'a, Kenya, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

Brian Gatonye, 2, a Kenyan prisoner, plays chess at Maranjau Prison in Murang'a, Kenya, on Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

Michael Kihara, 36, left, teaches Phillip Murage, 26, how to play chess at Maranjau Prison in Murang'a, Kenya, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

Kenyan prisoners play chess at Maranjau Prison in Murang'a, Kenya, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Bijan Robinson ensured there would be no punt to block this time — and the Atlanta Falcons were off and running.

Robinson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns — starting with a 59-yard scoring run on Atlanta's third play — and the Falcons routed the New Orleans Saints 45-24 on Monday night, dampening celebrations commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Superdome's reopening after Hurricane Katrina.

Robinson said the Falcons wanting to silence the crowd early “and make sure that pin drop happens in the first quarter.”

“For it to come after that third play was pretty special,” Robinson said. “We just went back to the sideline and said, ‘That’s what we talked about — make sure that we put it on them early so the crowd doesn’t become an issue.'”

Brian Robinson Jr. ran for three short touchdowns for the Falcons (2-2), who never trailed and controlled the line of scrimmage while outgaining the Saints (1-3) on the ground, 205 yards to 50.

Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who returned from a major 2025 knee injury last week for a 35-14 victory at Green Bay, was an efficient 15 of 20 for 223 yards and a touchdown. His 31-yard scoring strike to Jahan Dotson in fourth quarter sent Saints fans toward the exits.

“Mike played well; he took care of the football and made some really good throws,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I really like his demeanor and how he is operating.”

New Orleans fans booed at times and Saints QB Tyler Shough didn't blame them, calling his team's performance “embarrassing.”

“Fans understandably are upset," said Shough, who passed for 286 yards and a late touchdown to Devaughn Vele. ”You’re playing the Falcons and you lose like that? I’d boo, too.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara scored his first two touchdowns of the season, the second cutting Atlanta's lead to 31-17 early in the fourth quarter.

“We're all frustrated, all disappointed with where we’re at,” Saints second-year coach Kellen Moore said.

“This was a special night," said Moore, who had gathered the team to watch videos about Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Superdome's reopening on a Monday night against the Falcons in Week 3 of the 2006 season.

“We understood the opportunity and I thought there was great energy,” but the Falcons "were able to get things going early and we weren’t able to catch up,” Moore said.

Ignited by Steve Gleason’s punt block for a touchdown on the 2006 game’s opening possession, the Saints beat the Falcons 23-3.

Like that meeting two decades ago, the Falcons, wearing red, received the opening kickoff. The similarities ended soon after.

For a fourth time in four games, the Saints were playing from behind early — a challenge made more difficult by Daniel Carlson’s missed 52-yard field goal attempt and running back Kendre Miller’s lost fumble on the New Orleans 22-yard line one possession later.

Atlanta cashed in on the turnover when Bijan Robinson made it 14-0 on a 4-yard power run, set up in part by cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry’s third-down defensive holding penalty.

Brian Robinson Jr. summed up the Falcons' past two games, during which they've scored 80 points, as “the most fun I’ve had in my career.”

“We can be as good as we want to be,” he said.

Wearing white jerseys, retired players Drew Brees, Scott Fujita, Scott Shanle, Deuce McAllister, Devery Henderson and Curtis Deloatch joined Gleason on the field before kickoff to lead fans in the club’s familiar “Who dat!” chant. Gleason, using a wheelchair because of ALS, was joined by his son, Rivers, who raised his father's arm and then pulled it down to signal the start of the chant.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attended, spending pregame warmups on the home sideline conversing with Saints owner Gayle Benson and other dignitaries.

Falcons: Defensive end Za’Darius Smith received several minutes of attention on the field, but was able walk to the sideline after a stretcher had been brought out for him. He was placed in the concussion protocol. Left tackle Jake Matthews (groin) left the game in the first quarter.

Saints: The Saints began without two key defensive starters: Ed Carl Granderson (ankle) and linebacker Kaden Ellis (calf), who were ruled out on Saturday. Tight end Noah Fant (abdomen) was a game-night scratch.

Falcons: Host Baltimore on Sunday night.

Saints: Host Minnesota on Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, middle right, approaches former player Steve Gleason, middle foreground, before an NFL football game between the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against Atlanta Falcons cornerback C.J. Henderson (26) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, right, runs against New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)