Evidence first, then the product.

Assembling Continental Competition Without Co-Location: An Empirical Study of Cross-Border Participation in the Africa Chess League

Abstract

Online platforms are often assumed to relax the travel constraint on organised chess, but the assumption is rarely tested against production data from a platform built to act on it. This single-case observational census of AFCL’s first 28 days — 612 arena entries, 300 registered members across 16 countries and 6,744 player-game appearances, benchmarked against FIDE’s 9,640 African standard-rated players — separates assembling cross-border competition, which proved achievable, from distributing participation broadly and deeply, which did not follow automatically.

• cross-border participation
• digital sport platforms
• participation inequality
• Africa

doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.33868711.v2

Key findings

Countries competed in the league’s first 28 days

14

Countries per arena, from the first arena to the twelfth

4 → 11

Of all game appearances came from the most active 10% of players

>50%

Of registered players never entered an arena

⅓

Africa Chess League: Design, Architecture, and Deployment of a Digital Chess Competition Ecosystem for Africa

Abstract

AFCL is designed as an integrated digital ecosystem rather than a standalone tournament application: several competitive activities, information services, a shared identity layer and a unified backend operate around one competition-management model. Lichess provides the chess-execution layer — identity, gameplay, tournament hosting and fair play — while AFCL independently manages competition structures, scoring rules, derived standings, ladders and public reporting. The paper documents the engineering decisions and system boundaries that make that composition possible.

• systems architecture
• Lichess integration
• derived competition state
• sports technology

doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.33868843.v1

Key findings

Of closed-beta testing before the public launch

4 mo

Two-month test seasons run in the beta

2

Selected users in the closed beta

20

Public launch, after the beta

Aug 2026

From Agricultural Support to Climate Resilience: A Data-Driven Framework for Agricultural Investment in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Combining FAOSTAT crop statistics (2000–2023), ERA5 reanalysis climate data and provincial Agricultural Stress Index records from FAO GIEWS/ASIS, the study decomposes production into area and yield, examines rainfall–crop relationships and maps provincial drought exposure. Zimbabwe’s agricultural climate challenge turns out to be substantial rainfall variability rather than a significant decline — and the paper proposes a differentiated investment framework that links exposure, the mechanism of instability and the evidence required before choosing interventions.

• Zimbabwe
• climate resilience
• agricultural investment
• rainfall variability
• crop yield

doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.33985987.v1

Key findings

No significant trend in seasonal rainfall, 2000–2023 (+0.18 mm a year)

p = 0.96

Of maize production swings came from yield, not planted area

100%

Of irrigated wheat production swings came from harvested area

89%

Of seasons drought-stressed: Matabeleland South vs Mashonaland East

28% vs 0%