Anwuli, Ajibola Lead 18 Others toNational Chess Championship

Femi Solaja

The Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), yesterday released the names of the players invited to its annual National Chess Championship scheduled to hold in Lagos between November 8th and 14th.

In the list made available by Caretaker Committee member of the federation, Alhaji Bode Durotoye, 20 players made up of 10 males and 10 females have been invited for the re-introduced format at selecting the best players from both gender annually.

The current National Champion, International Master Daniel Anwuli tops the list of male players include; Olanrewaju Ajibola, Bomo Kigigha, Chukwunonso Oragwu, Akintoye Abdulraheem, Oluwafemi Balogun, Abimbola Osunfuyi and Odion Aikhoje. Isaac Okeke was given a wild card entry as the 10th male player.

In the female section; Jessica Pelomoh topped the list that include; Deborah Akintoye (current champion), Eloho Ogbiyoyo, Toritsemuwa Ofowino, Emmanuelle-Trust Enomah, Ayisha-Azuma Suleiman, Sandra Aramide, Oluwaseun Assa and Iyefu Onoje. Nkem Omishogbon also got a wild card entry just like Okeke in the male section.

Durotoye also confirmed NCF appointed Orchid-Lekki Chess Club (OLCC) as the host of the championship which will hold at Orchid Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

He explained the players were invited based on their current FIDE ratings.

“The selection of participating players was based primarily on current FIDE ratings and top nine rated players in both the male and female categories as at 1st of September 2021,” he stated.

He said further that an additional player is given wild card entry in both sections to complete the 10 entries just as two players in the section are on stand-by should any of the players invited decides to opt out of the competition.

In the male section, veteran star players, International Master Bunmi Olape and IM Oladapo Adu are on standby while Peace Samson and Yemi Osundinakin may come in from female section should any of the top nine rated players fail to show up for the championship.

The mode of selection of the national champion of chess has been a bone of contention among stakeholders of the game since the last decade with ‘reformists’ agitating for a separate tournament based on the rating of players in the year under review as against one of the major tournaments in NCF calendar over the years.

“What we have today is a departure from the past because we have to go with the global standard which evaluates all the players in tournaments over a period of time and invite them for a separate tournament to award the best player in both male and female in a calendar year,” Durotoye explained.