Nigeria’s chess contingent is set for a major test in Uzbekistan as the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad gets underway in Samarkand on Wednesday.
The country is sending a 10-player squad to the global event, with five players competing in the Open section and another five representing Nigeria in the women’s competition.
The team travelled out of Nigeria on Monday night via Turkish Airlines ahead of the tournament, which has brought together hundreds of national teams from across the world.
Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, Nigeria’s leading player, is aiming to make the most of the opportunity and hopes his performance can result in a medal.
“Personally, my expectation is to play the best chess that I possibly can, and hopefully, we can win a category medal,” he said.
The experienced player also expressed optimism about Nigeria’s chances, pointing to the mixture of established players and emerging talents within the delegation.
“I think Team Nigeria is quite strong. We have some experienced veterans as well as some very young players, so I believe we can do very well at the Olympiad,” he added.
Bomo Kigigha brings considerable experience to the men’s team, having previously competed at seven Olympiads. He will be joined by Abdulraheem, Ekunke Goodness, Bartholomew Okhipo and Odion Aikhoje.
The women’s team has Deborah Quickpen, Michelle Nwankwo, Sandra Omoruyi, Bridget Michael and Joy Iyefu.
For 15-year-old Goodness, the tournament represents his first appearance at the Olympiad. He heads into the competition after claiming the World Rapid Amateur Chess Championship in Abuja last month.
Rather than allowing the scale of the event to overwhelm him, the youngster says he intends to remain composed throughout his games.
“I don’t think I’ll feel any pressure, actually. I’ll just stay relaxed and free, but I’ll also perform very well,” Goodness said.
He is also confident Nigeria can produce its best showing yet.
“We’ll perform better than we have ever performed before, and we won’t have any poor performances,” he declared.
Nwankwo, who is also a teenager, will equally be making her contribution to the Nigerian campaign, while Quickpen believes the work she put in before receiving her call-up has prepared her for the demands of the competition.
She revealed that she had mentally positioned herself for the possibility of playing at the Olympiad even before the final selection was made.
“I’m confident that I’ll be able to handle the pressure because I was already preparing for the Olympiad before I even knew I would be selected,” Quickpen said.
“I believe I’ll do well, by God’s grace. It’s not by my power, but I’m also going to do my best and play my part. I also believe my teammates will do their part as well.”
The competition will continue until September 27, with 400 national teams taking part in the Open and Women’s events, making it the largest edition of the Olympiad to date.
The tournament is being hosted at the Silk Road International Tourist Center/EXPO Center in Samarkand. Following Tuesday’s opening ceremony, Nigeria will now turn its attention to its opening matches as the players begin their pursuit of strong results on the international stage.
