By Gifty Adjei
The Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra has awarded GH¢25,000 to Ghanaian chess player and Chess in Schools instructor, Miracle Morris Stephen, in a case against the Ghana Chess Association.
The Court found that the Association’s decision to suspend Morris from all chess-related activities and its subsequent publication of the suspension violated his rights. Morris was suspended on February 7, 2026, after withdrawing from the Ghana National Chess Championships in January. He had pulled out of the competition on the penultimate day, citing health reasons.
In its judgment in Miracle Morris Stephen vrs. Ghana Chess Association, Suit No. HR/0075/2026, the Court held that Morris was not given an opportunity to be heard before the disciplinary action was taken. The Court ruled that the suspension was contrary to the Association’s own Statutes and the principles of natural justice, describing it as a “nullity ab initio” — invalid from the outset.
The Court further found that the publication of the suspension on the Association’s WhatsApp platform breached Morris’s right to privacy.
The Ghana Chess Association has therefore been directed to publish the revocation of the suspension and Morris’s reinstatement on its official platforms.
The Court awarded GH¢20,000 as compensation and GH¢5,000 in costs, bringing the total award to GH¢25,000.
Morris was represented by Lawyer Charles Raymond Appiah Tandoh. The judgment comes amid other legal challenges within Ghana’s chess administration, including a pending case challenging the February 2026 elections of the Ghana Chess Association over alleged irregularities.
For Morris, who recently won the Tema Blitz Championship, the ruling restores his participation in competitive chess after months of uncertainty. The decision also reinforces the principle that sporting associations, while empowered to regulate their members, must exercise disciplinary authority within the framework of their own rules, fair hearing and the fundamental rights guaranteed by law.
