Uzbekistan and China win Chess Olympiad as Nigeria finishes low

Defending champions Uzbekistan kept their Open title, while China took home the women’s title at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Unfortunately, Nigeria ended their journey outside the top 80 in both categories on Sunday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Uzbekistan topped the Open standings with 20 match points after winning 10 out of 11 matches. India came in second with 18 points. Germany also finished with 18 points but took the bronze based on tie-break rules.

In the women’s competition, China remained unbeaten to win the title with 20 match points from nine wins and two draws. Kazakhstan came second with 18 points, while India secured bronze with 17 points.

Nigeria’s Open team ended up 118th overall, earning 10 match points from five wins and six losses. They also gathered 21 game points from their 11-round contest.

The Nigerian team began strong with victories but faced challenges in the middle rounds. They suffered a tough 4-0 loss to Vietnam in Round 6.

They did bounce back with crucial wins later in the tournament, including a solid 3½-½ win against Tunisia in Round 9. However, they lost 4-0 to North Macedonia in Round 10 before finishing against Hong Kong.

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

Abdulrahman Akintoye and Odey Goodness Ekunke were Nigeria’s top players in the Open section, both ending with 5½ points. Aikhoje scored 4½ points, while Kigigha finished with 3½.

The women’s team completed the competition in 85th place, securing 11 match points from four wins, three draws, and four losses, with a total of 24 game points.

Nigeria had a strong finish in the penultimate round, beating Guatemala 3-1 in Round 10. Deborah Quickpen, Iyefu Onoja, and Sandra Omuruyi all won their games.

Sadly, they couldn’t keep up that momentum in their last match, losing 2½-1½ to Syria. Quickpen got Nigeria’s only win, Omuruyi drew, while Onoja and Michelle Nwankwo lost.

Omuruyi stood out as Nigeria’s best player in the women’s category with 6½ points. Quickpen and Bridget Michael both finished with 5½ points, while Nwankwo scored 4½.

Even with many African teams present at the Olympiad, none made it to the medal winners list in either category.

Algeria had the best finish among African teams in the Open section, placing 80th, followed by Angola in 81st and South Africa in 82nd. Madagascar came 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, with Angola in 69th, Algeria in 72nd, and Uganda in 79th. Nigeria was fifth among the African teams in 85th place.

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

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