The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CHESS

  • Academy urges schools to embrace chess to boost learning

    Academy urges schools to embrace chess to boost learning

    Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rupetta Academy, Katmaan Senlong, has urged Nigerian schools to integrate chess into learning, saying it is a powerful tool for boosting academic performance and building life skills.

    Speaking at the school’s 2025 World Chess Day celebration in Abuja, Senlong said chess develops critical thinking, focus, problem-solving and creativity, making children sharper and more confident learners.

    To drive home the message, the academy staged a one-of-a-kind chess event that saw pupils play the game in a swimming pool, using waterproof boards, creating a unique aquatic chess experience that perfectly embodies this year’s theme: “Every Move Counts.”

    The event, held at the academy’s facilities in Abuja, saw young chess enthusiasts from the academy Chess club take the ancient game to extraordinary new depths quite literally.

    Using specially-designed waterproof chess boards and pieces, the children demonstrated that chess truly knows no boundaries.

    Senlong reiterated that Chess was the game of geniuses, saying that “today our young geniuses have shown that every move counts even when you’re in the swimming pool.”

    Read Also: Tinubu hosts chess master Tunde Onakoya in Lagos

    He added: “We wanted to create something truly memorable for World Chess Day 2025, and what better way to show that chess is for everyone, everywhere, than by playing in water?”

    Senlong noted that chess builds confident learners and thoughtful decision makers, no matter the environment.

    He said the event aligned perfectly with FIDE’s 2025 Year of Social Chess initiative, which promotes chess as a tool for inclusion, education, empowerment, and mental well-being.

    Senlong stressed that this year’s theme,”reminds us that every decision on the board and in life shapes our journey.”

    He said the school believed in giving every child a chance to discover their interests and thrive intellectually, socially and emotionally.

    He said: “Chess brings numerous cognitive benefits that translate into improved performance in other areas –  be it concentration, problem solving or creativity as well as valuable life skills like critical thinking, planning and logical reasoning.

    “The swimming pool chess event featured multiple simultaneous games, with children aged 6 to 12 participating in both casual games and mini tournaments.

    “Professional underwater cameras captured the matches, and the footage will be shared with FIDE as part of their Creative Chess initiative, which encourages enthusiasts to play in the most imaginative locations possible.”

  • History, culture meet as community celebrates with chess

    History, culture meet as community celebrates with chess

    Nigeria’s chess history has been rewritten with unveiling of the 1851 Agidingbi chess board and exhibition at Red Door Gallery on Victoria Island, Lagos State. 

    The event drew the attention of Lagos Royalty, chess grandmasters, national champions, as well as devoted chess and art enthusiasts. 

    It  showcased the artistic and cultural facets of the people. 

    By fusing elements of Nigerian culture and heritage, 1851 Agidingbi created a unique blend of chess competition and cultural exchange. 

     The event served as a reminder of the historic 1851 bombardment of Lagos by British Naval Forces.

     Visitors were taken on a journey through Lagos’s rich history, with a display of the prototype created in 2017 and revamped in 2023. 

    Read Also: Ifeanyi Ubah’s chess move

      A major highlight of the evening was the showdown between chess ambassadors.

      Oludamola Adebowale, founder, said: “This event is a testament to the rich history and strategic brilliance of Lagos. We’re proud to have brought this fusion of chess and culture to our city.” 

     Abiola Dosunmu, Erelu Kuti VI of Lagos, said: “I am happy we are telling our story. I must congratulate Oludamola for telling our story through chess, and all along where you have seen the game of chess depicted by foreign gladiators but this time he has pitched the African gladiators against the invader.”

  • ‘Chess improves pupils’ performance’

    Chairman, Lilly White Nursery and Primary School, Ilupeju, Lagos, Mr Abayomi Osibanjo, has said  cognitive performance of the child can be enhanced with chess game.

    Osinbajo likened chess to a symbol of life in which  decisions, which might make or mar the players, have to be taken. Therefore, the game improves the ability of the  brain to judiciously articulate and effect  good decision making.

    Osibanjo, who started playing chess 41 years ago, explained that as a early as four years, it is necessary for a child to get familiarised with the game; adding that at five or six, they can then start learning the moves of the game as their cognitive thinking will be able to retain what is learnt.

    Osibanjo, who spoke at the Interschool Chess Tournament held in his school in Ilupeju, Lagos, said: “Chess is more than what it seems on the board.

    “It improves your intelligence quotient. It has shown that students who are exposed to chess at an early stage in life gain the power of concentration. It has also shown that students who play chess improve  thier knowledge of mathematics.

    Students run away from mathematics but if you concentrate, and you are focused, you will conquer.

    “When you play chess, you are exposed to decision making. The chess board, which you are playing  is just a theoretical interactive simulation. That is, you simulate real life on the chess board in the sense that you will find on the board, the decision you are going to make in real life. Should you want to make a move, you are going to use the best move for the circumstances you are faced with which will either affect you positively or negatively. Chess is life.”

  • Technical Director urges more competitions, sponsorships for Chess

    Technical Director urges more competitions, sponsorships for Chess

    The Technical Director, Lagos State Chess Association (LSCA), Bayo Babalola, on Sunday appealed for more sponsorships of tournaments at the grassroots for the discovery of more talents in chess.

    Babalola made the call while reviewing the just-concluded PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Chess4change Championships at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    NAN reports that PwC, a multinational professional service network, headquartered in U.K. is the second largest professional services firm in the world and one of the big four auditors along with Deloitte, EY and KPMG.

    The tournament for the secondary school started last Wednesday ended on Friday and had 22 schools with about 320 students as participant.

    The first edition of the competition in 2014 had six schools represented but the number was doubled in 2015 to 12, and now increased to 22.

    Babalola said that dearth of competitions at the grassroots might not augur well for the future of the game in the country.

    “We need more grassroots sponsorships for competitions for chess in the country. PwC cannot do it alone. All hands must be on deck to promote the sport.

    “As we know grassroots competition is the future of any sport. So we need more of these championships to help the game grow more in Nigeria.

    “PwC has been in the forefront of grassroots chess sponsorship for the past three years because they believe that there are so many benefits children can derive from it.

    “Aside that, chess can help the children professionally, it can also help them academically too. It improves the mental alertness of the kids. It’s such an undeniable fact,’’ he told NAN.

    Babalola urged government at all levels to consider adding chess to the school curriculum, noting that it was done in some overseas countries.

    “We have talked about the usefulness of chess to the development of any child mentally and I know government is well aware of this, yet they are doing nothing to develop it.

    “As a matter of importance, government need to add chess to school curriculum. Many countries overseas have tried it and it worked for them. We should copy that.

    “Adding chess to the school curriculum will help to stimulate the mental alertness of the students, it will also increase their analytical thinking and quantitative and qualitative reasoning.

    “Chess has a lot of benefits children can derive, so we need to give it the due consideration it deserves,’’ he said.

  • NUJ Games: The Nation’s ‘Grandmaster’ wins gold

    NUJ Games: The Nation’s ‘Grandmaster’ wins gold

    The Nation published by Vintage Press Limited on Thursday recorded its first Gold Medal in the on-going Nigerian Union of Journalists Games which started on Monday at the National Stadium, Lagos.
    The medal was won in Chess as indoor games gets underway in the competition.
    A reporter on Sport Desk, Dayo Paul Oluwakoya, won the Gold Medal for the newspaper after defeating tough and strong contenders in a round-robing pairing with five media houses in the game.
    “This is the second medal I have won for Vintage Press. The first was in 2014 when I won silver medal. I did participate in 2015, but its feels good to be back and win the ultimate medal even as the game took the whole day,” Oluwakoya said in a post-match feedback with the Sport Editor, Ade Ojeikere.
    “I like to dedicate this sweet victory and gold medal to the Board of Directors of Vintage Press for giving me the privilege to make them proud once again and as well to exhibit the grandmaster skills in me,” he added.
    The Nation also won the bronze medal in scrabble by Joe Agbor of entertainment desk.

  • Chess league contest for Sat.

    NO fewer than 480 pupils from 30 schools in Lagos and Ogun States will kick off the Nigeria International Schools (inter schools) Chess  competition league on  Saturday, October 8.

    Acording to its Coordinator,  Mr Kunle Fasan, the event will hold at Holy Child Girls College, Ikoyi.

    He appealed for sponsorship, saying the group has held the contest yearly over the last decade, despite poor or lack of sponsorship.

    Fasan said: “Since the chess competition league started 11 years ago, the competition has remained the only consistent inter schools chess event in Nigeria that has not missed any annual edition. We are therefore appealing to potential sponsors to come to our aid through individual or corporate sponsorship.”

  • Winners emerge in Benin Chess tournament

    Winners have emerged in the third edition of the yearly Benin Chess Tournament held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

    They emerged in four categories including Masters, U-16, U- 14, U- 10, and Amateur categories.

    Over 200 contestants from Edo, Bayelsa, Delta, Abuja, Lagos, Imo, Abia, Kogi and Katsina states attended the five-day event sponsored by 7up Bottling Company.  President of Nigerian Chess Federation (NCF),  Adeyemi Lekan, and the Chief Arbiter, Obinna Ogbonaya, were at the event.

    National Instructor of the Chess tournament, Princess Omoyemwen Adeyinka Afolabi, said the first prize winners would smile home with N120,000, second prize would bag N60,000 while third prize winners would get N30,000.

    She said the aim of the tournament was to increase the awareness of chess in Edo State and Nigeria and to help raise the standard of the indoor game in the country.

    General Manager of the Benin Plant of 7up Bottling Company, Victor Oladele, praised the turn out of participants, adding that he hoped that the young chess players would do the country proud in the years to come.

    Aghosa Muenhanosa FearGod emerged winner in the U- 16 category while Aghosa Osagbeuwune emerged winner in the U- 14 category.

    In the Amateur category, Nesimeye Joma came top while Kigigha Bomo led others in the Master category.

  • NSC South-South zone to organise Chess competition in Edo

    The Zonal office of the National Sports Commission (NSC), South-South Zonal has said it would organise a Chess competition in Edo to popularise the game in the country.

    The Zonal Coordinator, Yemi Usikaye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Benin that the competition would provide equal opportunities to all participants to showcase their talents as well as learn new skills.

    The competition, which would feature the male and female categories, would be staged at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.

    Usikaye said the arrival date would be on August 19, while the competition would run between August 20 and 24. The six states in the zone to participate  are Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

    “We don’t want to concentrate only on football, wrestling and boxing. We want to develop other games, where we have comparative advantage locally and internationally. We have a representative in the World Cup holding in October and we also have a representative in the World Billionaire Chess Game,” he said.

    He noted that exposing the players to regular training and competition would make them high flyers and encourage grassroots development of the sport.

    Usikaye said there would be a meeting of sports directors from the zone to be held in Benin on August 20.

  • CHESS contest ends in style

    CHESS contest ends in style

    The grand finale of the yearly Nigerian International Schools Chess League competition ended last Saturday at Vivian Fowler Girls College, Oregun, Lagos.

    The team from Corona Secondary School, Agbara, Ogun State beat others with 34.5 points. Vivian Fowler Girls and Bellina College, Akoka, emerged first and second runners up with 34 and 30 points.

    The two teams from Bellina College also dominated the junior cadre with an outstanding 35 and 32 points to clinch first and second positions with 30 points.

    Coordinator of the competition Mr Kunle Fasan expressed happiness that though there were no sponsors, the contest had continued over the last decade

    “We have had to cope through thick and thin over the last 10 years without sponsorship,” Fasan said.

    “We have done this all alone but we are happy especially over the fruits of our endeavour. We can confidently beat our chest that participants who have emerged over time can represent this country both in local and international competitions.

    “But we are not foreclosing the opportunity of a sponsorship. There are many advantages attached to chess. It makes a player smarter; think faster and it also helps players in their academic pursuits,” he added.

  • NCF prepares busy schedule for Chess players

    NCF prepares busy schedule for Chess players

    Following the FIDE rating boom achieved by numerous chess players last year, there are strong indications that better chess empowerment awaits all the ambitious players following the activities lined up for the year by the board of Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF).

    At the last board meeting held recently in Asaba, Delta State, a total of rated tournaments are available both within and outside the country this year and the availability of these events, according to the President of the NCF, will add value to the development of the game in the country.

    According to the programme of activities made available to the media, the registration and licensing of players is on-going alongside the payment of affilation fees to the World Chess body, FIDE.

    Next month, Achiever University in Ondo State will stage the maiden National University Chess Championship in in Owo form 25th-29th of the month and it is FIDE-rated.

    For the first time in the history of chess at the National Sports Festival (NSF), the event will be FIDE-rated aside the medals to be awarded all the players. Barring any last-minute changes by the National Sports Commission (NSC), the event will hold in Calabar in April.

    The annual Friends of Chess will hold in April from 3rd-4th. Malogy Chess Championship will come up immedietly after and both events are to be rated and will come up in Lagos.

    The famous C4 National Chess Championship organised by the Players’ Union annually in Lagos and the South West Zonal Championships in Ibadan will take centre stage in May between 2nd-3rd and 28th-31st respectively. While the National U-14 Chess Championship will run between 14th-16th of the month.

    The Chess boss stated futher that the famous Millionaire Chess Satellite Championship will debut in Abuja from 3rd-7th of June and the South-South Zonal Chess Championship in Benin will follow from 10th-28th while Pro-Chess Quarterly event in Ibadan from 24th-28th will wrap up the half-way mark for the year.

    The National Chess League by all the registered clubs with the NCF will hold at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan from 1st- 5th of July, and will allow ambitious players to improve their ratings just as the National Inter-collegiate Team Chess Championship will take the stage at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos from 15th-19th while the Northern States’ Chess Championships will debut in Kaduna from 22nd-25th of the month.

    Four tournaments, namely; National Schools Chess Championship, Tunde Omotosho Memorial Rapid Chess Championship, National U-20 Chess Championship and Chess Height event will hold in August in Ibadan, Benin and Lagos respectively.

    In September, moments after the 86th FIDE Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Blind Chess Championship for impaired chess players will hold in Lagos from 10th-12th and the National Women Championship will follow from 17th-20th in Ibadan while Pro-Chess quaterly will round up the month at the same city.

    Delta State will host the maiden Victoria Ossai Memorial Rapid Chess Championship in Warri and the event will hold on the 1st of October and in the middle of the month, the 38th edition of Nigerian Breweries Plc International Chess Championship will hold from 14th-18th of the month and the 3rd Lagos Chess Classic will follow from 21st-25th. Both events will hold at the Molade Okoya-Thomas hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

    The second edition of the NCF President’s Cup will hold in November in Benin, while the NUGA Games in Markudi will allow players to improve their ratings as well. The year will wind up with the Ashtonwells Chess Championship in Abraka, Benin Chess Championship (Oba’s Cup) and the National Closed Championship in Ibadan from 8th-13th of December, MTN Chess tournament and Gladiators’ Chess event will round up a busy year of activities for Nigerian chess players.