Nigeria’s Chess Olympiad Woes Continue With Double Defeat In Round 7

Team Nigeria’s disappointing campaign at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, continued on Wednesday as both the men’s and women’s teams suffered defeats in Round 7.

The Nigerian men were beaten 3–1 by Libya in the Open section, while the women narrowly lost 2½–1½ to Suriname, leaving both teams with six match points after seven rounds.

The men entered the contest hoping to recover from their heavy 4–0 defeat by Vietnam in Round 6, but Libya proved too strong despite Nigeria taking an early advantage.

Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem secured Nigeria’s only win of the match, defeating Mohammed Midhat Abdulrahman on Board One.

However, Nigeria failed to build on the victory, with Odion Aikhoje losing to Ali Elier, Bartholomew Emmanuel Okhipo falling to Yousef A. Alhassadi and Odey Goodness Ekunke losing to Tawfik Ezzeddin Kweiri.

The 3–1 defeat leaves the Nigerian men with three wins and four losses from seven rounds. They have accumulated 12½ individual board points and are currently 126th in the Open standings on six match points.

The women also endured another setback, going down 2½–1½ to Suriname after losing 3–1 to Austria in Round 6.

Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo remains one of Nigeria’s leading performers at the tournament. The 1,997-rated player entered Round 7 with 4½ points from six games after remaining unbeaten in her opening five matches before suffering defeat to Austria’s Chiara Polterauer in the previous round.

Following the loss to Suriname, Nigeria’s women have two wins, two draws and three defeats, giving them six match points. They have scored 14 board points and are ranked 105th in the women’s standings.

The Nigerian women’s team comprises Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen, Iyefu Joy Onoja, Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo, Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi and Bridget Michael.

With four rounds remaining, both Nigerian teams will be looking to arrest their slide and improve their positions before the Olympiad concludes on September 27.

Nigeria’s men will face Guyana in Round 8, while the women take on Lesotho on Thursday, September 24.

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad features 11 rounds in both the Open and women’s sections, bringing together teams from across the world in one of international chess’s biggest competitions.