Sports Groove

...“Nigeria will bring it back home” – Quickpen, Ekunke, Abdulrahman, fire up Olympiad hopes By Maxwell Kumoye and Trust Ittai      Team Nigeria has departed for Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with a blend of experience, youthful ambition and growing confidence ahead of the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad. The Nigerian delegation left on Monday night aboard Turkish Airlines and is scheduled to make a one-hour, 30-minute stopover in Istanbul before continuing the journey to Uzbekistan for the prestigious global chess championship. The Olympiad, which runs from September 15 to 27, will bring together a record 400 national teams competing across the Open and Women's sections at the Silk Road International Tourist Center/EXPO Center in Samarkand. Nigeria will be represented by a 10-player squad comprising five men and five women, with the team hoping to build on previous international performances and challenge for honours in its category. THE MEN'S TEAM: ✓ Bomo Kigigha ✓ ...

By Maxwell Kumoye Nigeria's teenage chess prodigy, Ekunke Odey Goodness, has etched his name into the history books after becoming the first-ever champion of the FIDE World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship, winning the inaugural title in Abuja. The 14-year-old produced a stunning display throughout the 11-round competition, amassing nine points from a possible 11 to finish ahead of a strong field at the championship jointly organised by FIDE and the Nigeria Chess Federation. Ekunke sealed the historic triumph after holding fellow Nigerian FM Eugene Ekpoikong Unwana to a draw in the decisive final-round clash. The result ensured the teenager finished on nine points, while Unwana claimed the silver medal with 8½ points. FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha also finished on 8½ points but settled for bronze on tie-break. The tournament, played with a rapid time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment, witnessed an intense battle among Nigeria's leading players, with the inaug...