Orchid-Lekki Chess Club to host National Chess championship

Ifeanyi Eduzor
The 2023 edition of the Nigeria National Chess Championship is scheduled for October 2 to October 9, 2023 at Orchid Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. The championship will feature an Elite invitational section where 24 of the best chess players in Nigeria will compete for the Nigeria National Chess Champion and Nigeria National Women’s Chess Champion titles respectively.
According to the organisers, the 24 players in this section went through a rigorous selection and qualification process which includes a Nigeria National Chess Championship qualifiers tournament, to be able to compete in this final stage.
Winners of these titles will represent Nigeria at the 2024 Africa Individual Chess Championship (AICC).
The championship will also have an Open Section which will accommodate players at every category including beginners and masters. Rank and file players and any member of the public can register to participate in the Open Section where they can test their mettle against other players of their playing strength.
The Open Section will also have a vibrant Junior Category that will cater for U-20, U-14 and U-10 players. Hundreds of school children are expected to participate in this category.
The schedule for the tournament indicates that the opening ceremony will take place on October 2, by 11am
with the
Blitz tournament coming up on the same day by 4pm.
Elite invitational section will hold from October 3 – 9 from 9am daily with the Junior Category also holding from October 3 – 4 from 9am daily.
The open section will take the center stage from October 5 – 9 from 9am daily while the closing ceremony will be on
October 9 by 4pm
Highlight of this year’s opening ceremony will be a session to induct seven distinguished Nigerian chess
personalities and two organizations into the newly inaugurated Nigeria Chess Hall of
Fame.
This new development in Nigerian chess is set to celebrate and honour important contributors to the development of the sport in Nigeria.
Another notable event included in this year’s championship is a FIDE Chess in Education Teachers Course organised for teachers in Lagos State. This course which will take place between October 2 and October 5 and will help participants develop the skills necessary to inculcate chess in education.
The course will be facilitated by Women International Master, Anzel Laubscher, from South Africa.
Laubscher is a member of the FIDE Chess in Education and International Advisory Board.
According to the organisers, highlight of this year’s opening ceremony will be a session to induct seven distinguished
Nigerian chess personalities and two organizations into the newly inaugurated Nigeria Chess Hall
of Fame.
This new development in Nigerian chess is set to celebrate and honour important contributors to the development of the sport in Nigeria.
Another notable event included in this year’s championship is a FIDE Chess in Education Teachers Course organised for teachers in Lagos State. This course which will take place between October
2 and October 5, will help participants develop the skills necessary to inculcate chess in education.
The course will be facilitated by Women International Master, Anzel Laubscher, from South Africa.
Laubscher is a member of the FIDE Chess in Education and International Advisory Board.
According to Rex Ogunnaike Tournament Director, to register and participate, members of the public are encouraged to visit www.olchessclub.com.
Ogunnaike further stated that the championship in the last three years has improved the quality of the game in Nigeris noting that the championship has unveiled young talents and provided hints on the future possibilities of chess in Nigeria.
It’s expected that the new Minister of Sports and Youth Development, John Enoh, will be the special Guest of Honour at the championship’s opening ceremony.