Nigeria Olympiad Qualifer on tap!
In a novel attempt to field the strongest possible team from the Nigerian Diaspora, the Nigerian federation is holding qualifiers on three continents. The North American Zone will be held in Houston, Texas beginning this weekend. Nigerians from around the continental U.S. will be competing. Below is the announcement.
ZONE 2 : UNITED STATES
The World Chess Olympiad is a mega chess extravaganza that takes place bi-annually. The “who is who” of the chess world from all the chess playing countries of the world will be at the Olympiad. This year, four months after the Beijing Olympics, the 38th Chess Olympiad will kick off in Dresden, Germany from the 12th to 25th of November 2008. One of the chief activities of all the chess federations of the world, at the moment, is to select a very strong team to represent them in Dresden. Some chess federations, such as the one in the United States, have selected their team while others are half way there.
The dilemma that most chess federation faces is the best way to select their team. Some choose to base their selection on rating, titles or past performance at recent tournaments or even past chess Olympiad while others chose to conduct a trial in other to cast a wider net in search of talented chess players.
Nigeria is one of such countries faced with this dilemma. With so many talented chess players scattered around the globe, selecting a team to Dresden is not an easy one. This year, Nigeria is trying something new. Given the fact that the Olympiad is around the corner, and there is no time left for every chess players to go back to Nigeria for a trial, the selection process has been divided into 3 zones: Zone 1: Europe, Zone 2: United States and Zone 3: Nigeria.
The idea behind this initiative is to allow talented chess players to stay in their geographic location (with minimal disruption to their lives activities as possible) while competing for a chance to represent their country. It is the zone 2 part of the trial that is going to start this weekend at the Crown Plaza hotel in Southwest, Houston, Texas. Nigeria chess players, most of who are US Chess Federation ranked chess players will converge in Houston to fight for the 1 spot allocated for their zone.
In a few days, the Nigerian chess players in Europe will also begin their own chess event to select one player who will join the team to Dresden, German from their zone.
The zone 3 in Nigeria, which has a bulk of the chess players just concluded a very strong Olympiad trial tournament this past weekend. 3 male and 3 female chess players have been selected. After the trials in the US and Europe, 2 male players and 1 female player from both the US and Europe are expected to join the Nigerian team to Dresden, Germany.
In essence, this exercise has open up a new idea to chess players everywhere that by opening the door to young and old talented chess players, we are forging the development of the game while promoting a nationalistic pride in the participants. Many chess players are just happy to be a part of this selection process and it promises to produce bigger chess initiatives in the near future.
As noted recently by some commentators, including the former President of the World Chess Federation, Florencia Campomanes, seeding chess players is becoming outdated. Players have to fight for a spot to represent their countries. The way to promote the growth of a sport that is still not as popular as other sports is to have more competition and to educate the public about the beauty of chess. This is what is driving the Nigeria Olympiad selection process and it has received tremendous success already.
We look forward to a good chess selection tournament and we hope to see you at the Crown Plaza Hotel.
Adekunle Elegbede, International Coordinator
Nigeria Chess Federation
I am glad to see Umezinwa out of retirement as well. I often wondered where he went. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we will see of him!
Sorry guys. I wasn’t able to make Houston this trip. I have been unable to reach my contact.
It’s nice to see how the selection process is playing out,and i wanna say thanks to everyone who has made this possible.My regards to Mr.Kunle Elegbende for his tireless works,the chief tournament director Mr.Franc Guadaloupe,his assistant Quayle Johnson,and the tournament coordinator Dr.Jide Falana and all the participating players.
I feel very sad that i am not there right now taking part in this process due to some unforeseen circumstances beyond my control,and i assume the whole process is to select the very best Nigerian player in this zone to represent Nigeria at the prestigious Olympiad in Dresden,Germany.
As a result,i am calling out to challenge the winner of the tournament,who ever it maybe for a match for that spot!
CHIKWERE.G.ONYEKWERE
NIGERIAN NATIONAL CHAMPION!
It was clear from the biginning that Oladapo Adu was gonna win this,and i assume the whole process was to pick the very best chess player from this zone to represent Nigeria at the Olympiad.With all due respect to everyone involve,i don’t think that is the case here,as i’m very confident that i would win the tournament if i had taken part.To prove this,i’m calling Mr.Oladapo Adu to a match for that spot!I think this representative should prove himself in every way,and i know alot of people will really like to see that matchup too.
The stage has been set,and i am ready to prove this.
CHIKWERE.G.ONYEKWERE
NIGERIAN NATIONAL CHAMPION!!!
It was a nice experience all the way around. Seeing so many old friends again. Chillin’ out at Finger Lickin’ restaurant. Enjoying the amenities at the generally excellent hotel. Watching an admittedly rusty NM George Umezinwa play was also a treat. That he was there to play was even more evident when he declined an early offer of a draw from Smarty in their last round game!
The organization was excellent, even factoring in our penchant for doing things on “Nigerian time”. Hats off to Kunle, Franc and Quayle, who each did a yeoman’s job! And yes, why in the world does it take days to weeks to have some other tourneys rated??
IM Adu was the deserved winner, playing practical chess, and taking his chances when they appeared. I had my fair (unfair?) share of good fortune, so can not complain too much about my result.
It would be interesting to see an Adu-Onyekwere II, but I don’t know if this Olympiad process is the time. If Adu does agree to the match before the Olympiad, hopefully they can make their own arrangements, especially since they both live in the North East.
Ok, now I have to transition “Back to Reality”. Bills gotta get paid!
Ciao!
Congrads Adu! Ola that would have been amazing! See you all soon.
The tournament was a great success and leads me to suggest we put together a national tournament so that everybody can benefit from the excellence showed by the organisers.
As regards any kind of match with Dapo Adu. It cannot have anything to do with selection for the world chess Olympiad. That would make a mockery of all our efforts in attending this event and would be a monumental insult to Nigerian chess players and their effort to find solutions to our unique chess circumstances.
The qualifier for the national chess team to Dresden USA zone is complete and final and the representative is Dapo Adu.
Congrats to Dapo for some excellent games and the courage to put both his Fide and National rating on the line against many lower rated players. let us Support IM Adu in his efforts to become a grandmaster.
The younger pretenders to the throne still have to prove themselves to deserve respect and continued support from our chess players.
In response to the statement from Kenneth Odeh,i do not have any point to prove against low rated1500 and 1600 players or even 1800 players.That was more of a get together tournament you guys had,and it doesn’t prove anything!If you wanna have an Olympiad trials,then it should be done in the proper way,and not inviting players i can give a queen odds,that is an insult to me too.So i really do not care what ever you guys say or think about me,i do not play chess to please you guys!
Chikwere the best answer to a challenge is to proof yourself. To make a statement that insults a group of players most whom you do not know is a really bad move. It shows very poor taste and limited education.
Most of us have little or no knowledge of who you are as a chess player. My only memory of you is some guy calling me with demands and stories of financial hardships.
Now if you showed any talent or have any prospect as a chess player I would be more concerned with you. But I truely believe that you are not going to make anything of yourself not just in chess but in life if you do not change your attitude and develop some humility and common sense. Again if I was you and some one spoke about my prospects in life in such a dismissive way. I would do everything I can to proof him wrong.
If I sound like I am talking to a child it is because you are conducting yourself like one. I am going to request an unconditional apology from you to every chess player in that tournament you just insulted. You will make that apology both on the Nigerian chess forum and on chess drum. If I do not see such an apology posted there as quickly as you responded to my post. You will pay a high prize for your poor move in the Nigeria chess community.
People make mistakes but part of the maturing process is carrying the cross for your mistakes. I hope you are man enough to bear that cross. Nigerian chess has no need for your type of person. Note I did not say chess player. We are not just interested in the chess player but also the person. We have no desire to mix with the dregs of society and hoodlums. So if you want to associate with the likes of people you saw at that tournament. You have to first of all begin by trying to get a college education and learning some manners.
Accept this as some free fatherly advice from someone old enough to be your father. Please also stop talking about giving queen odds to anyone. The last time I heard about you giving any kind of odds you ended up flat on your stomach begging for everything including parts of your clothes. After I finished laughing at the stories of you and chess odds, I said we all done that and I sure hope he grows up.
Again you have no real chess achievements worthy of comment and I doubt you have the character that is required to achieve success. I would be happy to see you proof me wrong. I am not going to hold my breath waiting for that day. You have a long way to go. Just go ahead and post that apology and I would make an effort to get you forgiveness from the others you insulted.
Gentlemen,
Enough of this already. Let us all chill a little. Enough has been said that is not desirable and thefore it is important not to continue with this on the blog if you don’t mind. We have to think twice before we put anything in writing especially insulting things . I suppose the rule of blogging is to be courteous to others.
As for the Nigeria – US trial, it is over with. IM Dapo Adu is the winner and will be going to the Olympiad without any challenge of any sort. There may be other tournaments in the future even before the Olympiad, but it’s not going to be for the Olympiad selection and the way to organize such an event is not dragging it out on the blog. It takes hard work and proper planning.
However, the European leg of the Nigerian trial is still open and anyone can still participate in that. We made that clear long time ago. Anyone from any zone can participate in any trial from any zone. The zoning of this event is just for the convenience of the players at this late stage of the Olympiad selection. I do understand how emotions can sometime be high in a matter like this, but we have to think twice before we say anything that we may regret later.
I trust you will take my one cent advice and let peace reign.
Best regards,
Kunle Elegbede
Kenneth,u can go to hell,and u will not get any apology from me no matter how long you wait.If you got insulted,it was because you couldn’t control your big mouth,and you’re not old enough to be my father too.Talking about achievements in chess,u’ve been playing chess since i was born,and u’re still in the 1800’s.I do not play chess to please you,and i wasn’t gonna come to Houston to see your scary face too.If i made a comment earlier not directed to you,and you decided to open your big mouth,then you deserve every insult you got.And you know what,about the players too,i wasn’t refering to Dr.Smarty,Iwu,Ola,Umezinwa and Ayodele,but u’re definately among the 1800’s!and you can go to hell,for i really don’t care.Just in case you don’t know,i’m be 23 very soon,and by the time i get to your age,i’ll be doing better than you are now.
So once again,you can go to hell!
All I know is that Nigerian chess players are brilliant and talented people. Yes, there has been a lot of problems in the chess development in Nigeria but that will be over soon. There will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to play in so many chess tournaments that the best players will emerge while many others will improve every time they play. As long as we retain the proper decorum , we would remain winners together. Again It’s over now. Let’s move on to other more positive subjects such as how we can organize more tournaments and help chess players obtain GM norms. Competition is good for everyone but insult is self defeating . You are all wonderful people and you should remain that way.
Daaim,thank you for the advice,i really appreciate it,and i wanna say thanks for your good works and the publicity of the whole thing,you’ve been very helpful in promoting chess generally.I just spoke with Mr.Elegbende,who also gave me some advice,because he understands my frustration,as he really tried to enable me get to Houston,but it was too late.One thing is for sure,i’ll keep on playing in tournaments and try to do my best.Once again,thank you so much.
I do not want to inflame this situaton further, but I have to say this. Chi-chi, you owe an apology to everyone that you insulted, intentionally or not, by your comments earlier. It may have been said in the heat of the moment, for whatever reason, it does not matter to the people offended. I believe it was Maya Angelou who said that people may not remember exactly what you said to them, but they will remember exactly how you made them feel.
It is a mark of maturity for a man to accept when he is wrong, and make amends. Here is your chance …
Alright Iwu,i did not mean to insult anybody,and i’m sorry to who ever might have been insulted as a result of all this,tempers were really high.
It’s unfair to block others reply to his tantrums. The nigerian chess federation what ever affiliation shouldn’t be partial to an upcoming player that lacks maturity. We are all passionate about this game and we have our different strategies however simple that may be. Iwu can mentor his boy on the side but don’t bring him to the folds of the elders! All of the players that he insulted have one or two great achievements in the their career.
chikwere start saving up for next olympia and you dont have to give Queen odds to any one! Your name no be rybyka.
Dear Gentlemen,
I am particularly pleased to be Nigerian. I must mention here that Nigerian players have really done us proud in the diaspora! Going by the level of organization and commitment witnessed in the Olympiad team-selection trials, please keep the flag flying!!! Kudos to all facilitators and friends who have made this an unprecedented success.
Gens Una Sumus!!!
Any one giving Queen odds? Cause i am taking ! 8)
Daaim Shabaz,
It’s good that all ends well. A number of those players have national and international records b4 the boy started playing chess. Those who want him to play chess for nigeria should do good by sponsoring his education, afterall, what is chess without education. Sacking pieces recklessly and playing Queen less is not a mark of excellence. Chess is much more than that, it demands greater planning, maturity and timing. Chikewere should start saving for the next Olympiad, hopefully his game would be much better then and he would have grown in maturity with ethics.
I will continue to support Nigerian Chess and sponsor upcoming talents, but not people without respect for other players. I appreciate the effort of everyone that came and supported that event. Special thanks to Kunle Elegbede!
We may hear from Chikwere yet again, if he is able to make one of the other two trials. I don’t agree with the manner of debate, but I can attest to the strength of both Chi-Chi and most of the players that participated in the trials State-side. I will put my money on Chi-Chi and have done it.
Much love to all the brothers. 😉
Keep hope alive for the alternate spot!
From #34 by Daaim:
Well, I think we talked about this earlier. The question was should we have the trial selection as 4, 2, 2 0r 3, 1 1 format which will be 8 or 5 players respectively. We ended up with 3, 1 and waiting for 1 more from Europe. The wisdom of the 4, 2, 2 is to let the alternative second players in all the regions be chosen once and for all and be the standbys should there be a visa problem. But I suppose the technical committee of the Nigerian Chess Federation led by the NCF Vice Chairman, Mr. Lekan Adeyemi who is very competent, can still address this problem quickly. The success of the trial is going to continue. Europe will begin their own selection as soon as we solve the logistical problems that they are facing. Its good news for Nigeria Chess and this is just the beginning.
Aha!
Or why not simply select all five players from ‘diaspora’ since it is feasible that all the players from Nigeria will not get visa?
This is the problem with Nigeria. Always looking for quick fix temporary solutions instead of taking the time to solve problems in a holistic way even if that requires taking the longer, harder road.
The Phillippine Olympiad trials was held in the Philippines. Grandmaster Paragua who is based in the US and is one of the highest ranked Filipinos failed to qualify among the top five and yet the tournament was won convincingly by an unknown IM (John Paul Gomez who is based right there in the Phillippines) ahead of several already famous GMs! If not for such a tournament, he may never have had a chance to show what he is capable of.
If players cannot get a visa from Nigeria, then Nigeria does not send a team to the Olympiad. Period.The sky will not fall down. That way we get to see our problems in stark relief and that way we will be forced to solve them once and for all instead of taking placebos! The impression is that this whole idea is a roundabout way of making the criterion for playing for Nigeria in the Olympiad the ability to easily get a visa which of course favours those in ‘diaspora’.
Aha!
Appreciation:
Even though they do not want me to mention this here, but I just have to recognize Dr Iwu and Dr Smarty for their generosity at helping to offset some of the expenses of this event. This is the kind of spirit that will take Nigeria chess to greater heights . Once again, special thanks to Drs Iwu and Smarty and the Finger licking Restaurant for the good food at the party. We appreciate every one who came and those who couldn’t make it for one reason or the other. We look forward to even bigger and better tournaments in the future.
there is always a learning point from disagreements.
i think elders should learn that “when a dog barks at you do not bark” people might not discern the difference
Now for the European leg of the Nigerian Olympiad trials even though there are no financial guarantees and the NCF appears to be at sea. No doubt there would be players willing to pay their own way to Dresden (consider Easyjet/Ryanair, friends!). The prospects of prompt reimbursement of expenses are rather dim.
gratitude the least of virtues and ingratitude the worst of vices i want to commend the organisers for doing something fantastic in organicing such a trial the first and a legacy to emulate.we are proud of you all.chi chi i cant wait to see you at nbl your fans have missed you
thanks kunle 4 giving us the final results in the olympiad trails, will are grateful for your organization in nigeria and port harcourt, we are saying thank you and God bless.
there are a lot of talented chess players who missed this trials and hopefully if this idea continues, there will be more than ten players competing for the 2010 spot. perhaps if the trials is held in a city like LA or NYC we could have 50 players!
Plaese,
what has been happening to chess in Nigeria………i need to get across to as many Nigerian chess players as possible particularly those i have played or met in competitions like Chikwere”s email, Fawole john, and any Nigerian chess player out there that wants a chess revival in Nigeria………i think it is time to penetrate the inner chess shrine……we need to rekindle the flame on our boards.pass on information to our selves by maintaining contacts. kudus mr Daiim i love this site!! WE STILL AWAIT THE AFRICAN GM- CHESSGURU chessmafiadon@yahoo.co.uk
Dear friends,
I was really delighted to watch you friends do Nigeria proud it great to observe that you our chess ambassadors and professionals are keeping the flag flying.
This has clearly shown that nigerian chess has a great future.
May I seize this opportunity to congratulate the qualifiers for the olympiad, the organisers ,and all participants.
Together we shall move Nigerian chess to the next level, that is
really befitting of GIANT OF AFRICA
Dr Owen Maduka
NAUTH, NNEWI oimaduka@yahoo.com
oimaduka@yahoo.com
Dear Chessplayers.
We should call on the present chairman of the Nigeria Chess Federation to resign. He has held the fort for a few years now and I am sure he has put in his best effort. I sincerely believe he is not the best equipped Nigerian for the job. Chess has stagnated in Nigeria.
A few things of concern to me and other chess players include: Non payment of our Fide dues, No notable chess achievements for chess under his tenure, Very few chess tournaments.
Our Chairman Police chief Sanni I believe is his name does not inspire or motivate us as chess players and does not bring any improvement to chess in Nigeria. Hence my request he resigns.
I am not here to cast stones and I understand we operate in a very difficult national environment Nigeria. But we had better times under Mr.Omuku.
Under Mr. Omuku we had a National sports festival,University games, Secondary school games, African junior chess champoinships, African chess tournaments, a national chess leaque, Many chess toournaments rganised by the oil companies, NEPA etc. We got new International arbiters and had many great participants in the chess process including Admiral Ayinla. We need our freinds back and we need a leadership that can make it happen. We want CHANGE and CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.
We just had an Olympiad chess trial here in USA that I understand should have being rated. But the state of our federation is such we could not pay the minor fees to make this rating take place. We therefore lost the chance to increase the number of rated chess players from Nigeria.
My personal suggestion for Chairman is Mr. Emmanuel Omuku. He brings great fund raising ability and a wealth of expereince. A former executive director of the world Chess federation he is respected and known all over the world and would make a huge difference to chess in Nigeria. His were the golden years of chess and we want some more.
I know Mr. omuku may not want to serve and is not even aware I am writing this letter. But we do have alternatives Like Navy Captain Andrew Onoja Odeh a chess master presently attending war college in preperation to assuming the rank of a general.
Mr Chairman I kindly and respectfully suggest you consider handing over your position in the interest of chess. We thank you for your service to our country as a police officer and we are happy you have worked to the best of your ability to lead the chess federation despite your very limited knowledge of the game.
Kenneth Odeh
Nigeria citizen
Another fiasco is developing with Nigeria’s Olympiad participation, eerily similar to the last one, and the one before that. Less than 2 weeks to the first game, players’ visas and travel arrangements remain a mystery known only to a few NCF officials. Or perhaps not even they know? How can we turn out a good team when the preparation is limited to individual player efforts and no one knows, even this late, if the players will actually make it to Dresden. And the silence from the authorities is as deafening as their arrangements are opaque. I despair.
I think the problem of chess organization in Nigeria goes far beyond the person of the chairman. The NCF is a parastatal that is bureaucratic and inefficient, and even a dynamic executive (would that were more than just a dream!) with clear strategic vision will soon be mired in the bottlenecks of Nigerian officialdom. I think we have to think well beyond the NCF to make a positive change in our game.
please i am writing from austria.i lost contact with a great friend,master and mentor,the ex-chiarman of the nigeria chess federation mr emmanuel omuku. can you be of help by linking us.
thank!