Nigeria Falter As Uzbekistan, China Clinch Chess Olympiad Titles

Nigeria faltered at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, finishing outside the top 80 in both the Open and women’s sections, as Uzbekistan retained the Open title and China emerged champions in the women’s competition.

Uzbekistan topped the Open standings with 20 match points after winning 10 of their 11 matches, while India finished second with 18 points. Germany also recorded 18 points but took bronze on the tie-break.

In the women’s competition, China went unbeaten to claim the title with 20 match points from nine wins and two draws. Kazakhstan finished second with 18 points, while India took bronze with 17 points.

Nigeria’s Open team finished 118th overall, recording 10 match points from five wins and six defeats, with 21 game points from their 11-round campaign.

The Nigerians started with victories but struggled for consistency in the middle stages, suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to Vietnam in Round 6.

They recovered with important wins later in the tournament, including a 3½-½ victory over Tunisia in Round 9. However, they lost 4-0 to North Macedonia in Round 10 before closing their campaign against Hong Kong.

Nigeria narrowly lost 2½-1½ to Hong Kong in the final round, with Bomo Lovet Kigigha securing their only individual victory. Odion Aikhoje and Bartholomew Okhipo lost their games, while the remaining board ended in a draw.

Abdulrahman Akintoye and Odey Goodness Ekunke were Nigeria’s leading performers in the Open section, both finishing with 5½ points. Aikhoje scored 4½ points, while Kigigha ended with 3½.

The women’s team finished 85th with 11 match points from four wins, three draws and four defeats, accumulating 24 game points.

Nigeria enjoyed a strong finish to the penultimate round, defeating Guatemala 3-1 in Round 10, with Deborah Quickpen, Iyefu Onoja and Sandra Omuruyi winning their games.

However, they were unable to maintain that momentum in their final match, losing 2½-1½ to Syria. Quickpen secured Nigeria’s only win, Omuruyi drew, while Onoja and Michelle Nwankwo lost.

Omuruyi was Nigeria’s leading performer in the women’s competition with 6½ points. Quickpen and Bridget Michael both finished with 5½ points, while Nwankwo scored 4½.

Despite a sizable African presence at the Olympiad, no team from the continent finished among the medal winners in either section.

Algeria recorded the best African finish in the Open section, placing 80th, ahead of Angola in 81st and South Africa in 82nd. Madagascar finished 87th, Libya 90th, Uganda 91st, Mozambique 93rd, Tunisia 94th, Zambia 100th and Egypt 102nd.

In the women’s section, Egypt led the African teams in 53rd place, followed by Angola in 69th, Algeria in 72nd and Uganda in 79th. Nigeria finished fifth among the African teams in 85th place.

Morocco placed 92nd, South Africa 96th, Ethiopia 97th, Mozambique 101st and Kenya 105th. Madagascar, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Botswana and Zimbabwe finished between 108th and 118th.

The 11-round competition, which began on September 16, brought together national teams from across the world in the Open and women’s sections.