Nigeria Bounce Back at Chess Olympiad as Men Crush Guyana, Women Beat Lesotho
Team Nigeria returned to winning ways at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with both the Open and Women’s teams securing emphatic victories in Round 8.
The Nigerian men delivered a commanding 3½–½ victory over Guyana on Thursday, September 24, recovering strongly from their 3–1 defeat to Libya in the previous round.
FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha, FM Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem and FM Odey Goodness Ekunke all won their respective games, while Bartholomew Emmanuel Okhipo held Anthony Drayton to a draw.
The official tournament results confirmed Nigeria’s 3½–½ triumph, with Kigigha, Abdulraheem and Ekunke claiming the wins and Okhipo securing the half-point.
The result moved Nigeria to eight match points after eight rounds in the Open section. The team entered the 11-round Olympiad as the 84th seed and currently has a 103 ranking position in the tournament standings based on tie-break criteria.
The Women’s team also enjoyed a productive outing, defeating Lesotho 3½–½ to maintain their push up the standings.
WFM Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen drew with WFM Bonolo Ntsielo, while Iyefu Joy Onoja, Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi and Bridget Michael recorded victories for Nigeria.
The win took the Nigerian women to eight match points after eight rounds, providing a timely boost as the tournament enters its decisive stages.
Nigeria face Tunisia, Zambia in Round 9
Attention now turns to Round 9, scheduled for Friday, September 25, with both Nigerian teams facing African opposition.
The Nigerian men have been paired with Tunisia, another team on eight match points heading into the encounter. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. local time in Samarkand. The official pairing lists Nigeria as the 84th-ranked team against 111th-ranked Tunisia.
The Nigerian women will face Zambia in their ninth-round encounter, also scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
With only three rounds remaining after Round 9, the results in the final stages could have a significant impact on Nigeria’s final position in the 11-round competition.
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, which features Open and Women’s sections, is taking place in Samarkand from September 16 to 27, 2026. FIDE confirmed after Round 8 that three rounds remained in the competition.
For Nigeria, the immediate objective is clear: build on the double victory in Round 8 and sustain the momentum through the closing rounds of the Olympiad.
