Nigeria Chess Teams Secure Strong Round 9 Results at Olympiad

…Men defeat Tunisia 3½–½ as women draw Zambia 2–2; North Macedonia, Guatemala await in Round 10

Team Nigeria continued its solid campaign at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with the men’s team recording a convincing 3½–½ victory over Tunisia in Round 9, while the women’s team battled to a 2–2 draw against Zambia on Friday.

The results kept Nigeria in contention with two rounds remaining in the 11-round competition, with Round 10 scheduled for Saturday, September 26.

Nigeria Men Maintain Winning Momentum

Nigeria’s Open team produced another commanding display against Tunisia, following up on its identical 3½–½ victory over Guyana in Round 8.

FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha opened Nigeria’s account with a draw against Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Abdallah on Board 1.

FM Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem then secured a full point against Yacine Barbaria on Board 2, before IM Odion Aikhoje defeated Zoubaier Amdouni.

Odey Goodness Ekunke completed the victory with another win over Hamed Ben Ghanem to give Nigeria a 3½–½ scoreline.

The result marked Nigeria’s second successive emphatic victory and strengthened the team’s position after nine rounds.

Nigeria entered the Olympiad as the 84th seed and has now accumulated 10 match points. Abdulrahman has been among the team’s consistent performers, contributing 5½ points from nine games.

Women Held by Zambia

The Nigerian women’s team, meanwhile, shared the points with Zambia in a 2–2 draw.

Nigeria had returned to winning ways in Round 8 with a 3½–½ victory over Lesotho, while Zambia also recorded a convincing 3½–½ win over Namibia.

The draw against Zambia means Nigeria has collected nine match points after nine rounds.

Nigeria’s women’s squad in Samarkand comprises WFM Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen, Iyefu Joy Onoja, WFM Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo, Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi and WIM Bridget Michael, with Ejiro Okessena Thukson IV serving as captain.

North Macedonia, Guatemala Next

The Nigerian men will face North Macedonia in Round 10 on Saturday at 3pm local time in Samarkand.

Nigeria’s team rating average is 2282, while North Macedonia has also enjoyed a competitive campaign as the Olympiad enters its closing stages.

The women’s team will take on Guatemala in its Round 10 pairing.

With just two rounds remaining, both Nigerian teams will be looking to finish strongly and add to their respective match-point tallies before the final round on Sunday.

Friday’s results provided another positive step for the Nigerian delegation, with the men continuing their winning momentum and the women maintaining their position with a hard-earned draw.