Nigeria’s Chess Teams Roar Back, Crush Guyana & Lesotho
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH
TEAM Nigeria bounced back strongly at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as both the Open and Women’s teams recorded convincing victories in Round 8 on Thursday.
The Nigerian men responded to their previous-round defeat to Libya by crushing Guyana 3½–½. The result lifted their tally to eight match points after eight rounds.
FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha, FM Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem and FM Odey Goodness Ekunke all delivered victories for Nigeria. Meanwhile, Bartholomew Emmanuel Okhipo secured a draw against Anthony Drayton.
With the Guyana victory now behind them, the Nigerian Open team will turn its attention to Tunisia in Round 9 on Friday.
Tunisia also have eight match points, making the encounter an important African battle as both sides look to strengthen their positions with three rounds remaining after Round 9.
The match is scheduled for 3pm local time.
Nigeria’s women also produced a strong response in Round 8, overpowering Lesotho 3½–½ to move to eight match points.
WFM Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen drew with WFM Bonolo Ntsielo. However, Iyefu Joy Onoja, Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi and Bridget Michael all claimed victories to secure the team’s commanding result.
The win placed Nigeria 83rd in the Women’s section after eight rounds.
The women now face another African challenge in Round 9, taking on Zambia at 3pm on Friday. Like Nigeria, Zambia enter the contest with eight match points.
Consequently, both Nigerian teams have an opportunity to build momentum after their Round 8 victories.
With the competition heading into its closing stages, the teams will need to maintain their concentration and consistency.
The 11-round Olympiad concludes in Samarkand on 27 September, leaving Nigeria with three more rounds after Friday’s fixtures to push for strong finishes.
