Nigeria Crush Malawi, Hold Czech Republic As Chess Olympiad Enters Round Six

Nigeria’s men’s and women’s teams moved to six match points apiece after contrasting results in Round Five of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The men bounced back strongly from their previous-round defeat by Cuba, beating Malawi 3½-½, while the women fought to a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic on Sunday.

In the Open section, Bomo Lovet Kigigha drew with Joseph Mwale on the top board, but Nigeria dominated the remaining encounters.

Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem defeated Chiletso Chipanga, Odion Aikhoje overcame George Mwale, while 15-year-old Odey Goodness Ekunke completed Nigeria’s convincing victory by beating Joseph Xavier Nyambalo.

The result gave Nigeria three wins and two defeats from five rounds, taking the team’s tally to six match points.

Aikhoje and Ekunke have been among Nigeria’s leading performers, with both players now on 3½ points each. Abdulraheem has 2½ points, while Kigigha has two.

The women, meanwhile, were forced to settle for a draw after a tightly contested encounter with the Czech Republic.

Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen lost to Joanna Worek on Board One, but Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo restored parity by defeating Anna Lhotska.

Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi was subsequently beaten by Lucie Rybackova before Bridget Michael secured the overall draw with victory over Tereza Rodshtein.

Nwankwo continued her impressive run in Samarkand and now has 4½ points from five games after another individual victory.

The 2-2 result leaves the Nigerian women with six match points, following two wins, two draws and one defeat.

Attention now shifts to Round Six on Monday, September 21, with both Nigerian teams facing opponents who also have six match points.

The men will take on Vietnam, who lost 2½-1½ to Poland in Round Five. The clash is scheduled for 3pm in Samarkand, with the individual board pairings expected to be confirmed before play.

The women will face Austria, who are ranked 43rd in the latest pairing order, compared with Nigeria’s 66th position.

Round Six will be the final session before Tuesday’s rest day, giving both Nigerian teams another opportunity to strengthen their positions ahead of the resumption of the competition with Round Seven on Wednesday.

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, featuring 11 rounds, is being held in Samarkand from September 16 to 27.