Team Nigeria set for Samarkand Chess battle

Team Nigeria set for Samarkand Chess battle

...“Nigeria will bring it back hqome” – Quickpen, Ekunke Abdulrahman, fire up Olympiad hopes

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

✓ Ekunke Goodness

✓ Bartholomew Okhipo

✓ Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

✓ Odion Aikhoje

THE WOMEN'S TEAM:

✓ Deborah Quickpen

✓ Michelle Nwankwo

✓ Sandra Omoruyi

✓ Bridget Michael

✓ Joy Iyefu

Ejiro Thukson IV serves as Secretary-General of the delegation, with Bunmi Olape and Adeyinka Adewole accompanying the team as officials.

Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, says, the trip comes at a particularly significant moment in his career after rising to become Nigeria's number-one chess player.

The milestone, he said, was the product of a long and challenging journey, but one that has ultimately been rewarding.

With Nigeria now facing some of the strongest chess nations in the world, Abdulrahman is targeting nothing less than 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.

He believes Nigeria has the right mixture to make an impact, pointing to the combination of experienced players and emerging talents within the squad.

“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.

Experience will be particularly valuable in Samarkand, with Bomo Kigigha, preparing for his eighth appearance at the Chess Olympiad.

Bomo's most memorable Olympiad came in 2012, when Nigeria secured a category prize. He is now hoping the current generation can repeat that feat.

“This will be my eighth Olympiad. My best experience was when we won the category prize back in 2012,” he said.

“This year, we have a very good team, and we are looking forward to clinching the category prize again.”

While the veterans provide experience, Nigeria is also taking promising youngsters to Samarkand, including 15-year-old Ekunke Goodness, who will make his Olympiad debut.

Goodness arrives with confidence after winning the World Rapid Amateur Chess Championship in Abuja in August.

Rather than allowing the magnitude of his first Olympiad to overwhelm him, the teenager intends to approach the competition with composure.

“I don’t think I’ll feel any pressure, actually. I’ll just stay relaxed and free, but I’ll also perform very well,” he said.

His ambition and that of the team is equally clear. “We’ll perform better than we have ever performed before, and we won’t have any poor performances,” Goodness declared.

Another young member of the Nigerian contingent, Chiamaka Michelle Nwankwo, is also relishing the opportunity to represent the country on the biggest stage.

Having played chess for about five or six years, Nwankwo said the excitement of wearing Nigeria's colours must be balanced with the concentration required to compete at the highest level.

“I feel really excited. It’s amazing to be able to represent your country at the Olympiad,” she said.

“But you also have to stay strong and focused on the games so that you can perform well.”

For Deborah Quickpen, meanwhile, preparation has already taken much of the uncertainty out of the assignment.

The experienced teenager said she had been preparing mentally for an Olympiad appearance even before her selection was confirmed, knowing that she could have the opportunity to carry Nigeria's flag in Samarkand.

“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.

She expressed confidence in her ability and that of her teammates to deliver a strong campaign.

“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.”

Her message to Nigerian chess supporters was unmistakably ambitious. “Nigeria will bring it back home, by God’s grace. We’re hopeful,” Quickpen said.

With the opening ceremony scheduled for September 15 and competition beginning a day later, Team Nigeria now faces the ultimate test of its preparation.

The olympiad's rest day is scheduled for September 22, with the competition concluding on September 27.

Nigeria's goal in Samarkand is simple, combining the experience of its established players with the fearlessness of its young stars and leaving a mark on a tournament featuring the world's chess elite.