With an opening ceremony held at the Orchid Lekki Hotel, the third iteration of the Nigeria National Chess Championship has begun in Lagos.
Top chess players will compete in a round-robin format for the national championship with 12 competitors instead of the previous 10 from the previous two tournaments.
A total of eight players have direct qualifying, including the current champion, the top five rated players, the best junior player, and a wildcard player chosen by the president of the Nigeria Chess Federation.
The other four are chosen from the winners of a qualification competition.
The championship will come to an end on October 9, 2023.
Former national champions and chess heroes from Nigeria are being inducted into the Nigeria Chess Hall of Fame for the first time by the Nigeria Chess Federation. The pioneer inductees include seven individuals and two organisations.
Among them is Dr. Sylvanus Ebigwe, who established the Nigerian Chess Federation and is known as the sport’s pioneer in the country.
Vice Admiral Jibrila Ayinla (rtd), a former minister of health and national chest master. Etokowo Ime, the first chess medallist in the Olympics, Fumilayo Agusto, a true master of the game
Emmanuel Omuku, a previous national junior champion, Oyeneyin Tajudeen, a two-time national champion, and Oluwasheyitun Olufemi, a former national junior and senior chess champion. The Punch Newspapers and Nigerian Breweries were two additional organisations recognised.
