The prestigious competition officially opens on September 15, with the first round scheduled for September 16. The Olympiad will run until September 27 at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in Samarkand, featuring hundreds of national teams across the Open and Women’s sections.
Nigeria is represented by five players in each section. The Open team comprises FIDE Master Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, FIDE Master Bomo Kigigha, Ekunke Goodness, International Master Odion Aikhoje and Bartholomew Okhipo, while the women’s team features Woman FIDE Master Deborah Quickpen, Michelle Nwankwo, Joy Iyefu, Bridget Michael and Sandra Omoruyi. Official tournament records list Nigeria’s Open team with an average rating of 2,282 and the women’s team at 2,018.
The Nigerian delegation is led by Secretary-General Ejiro Thukson IV, with Bunmi Olape and Adeyinka Adewole also serving as officials.
For Abdulraheem, the Olympiad comes at a significant stage of his career after emerging as Nigeria’s number-one ranked player. The chess player is targeting a strong individual performance while hoping the team can secure a category medal.
“Personally, my expectation is to play the best chess that I possibly can, and hopefully, we can win a category medal,” Abdulraheem said.
He believes Nigeria possesses the balance required to compete effectively, with experienced players combining with a new generation of promising talents.
“I think Team Nigeria is quite strong. We have some experienced veterans as well as some very young players, so I believe we can do very well at the Olympiad,” he added.
Experience will be crucial for Bomo Kigigha, who is set for his eighth appearance at the Chess Olympiad. Kigigha’s standout memory came in 2012 when Nigeria secured a category prize, and he is hoping the current team can reproduce that success in Samarkand.
“This will be my eighth Olympiad. My best experience was when we won the category prize back in 2012,” Kigigha said.
“This year, we have a very good team, and we are looking forward to clinching the category prize again.”
Nigeria will also rely on the enthusiasm of its younger players, including 15-year-old Ekunke Goodness, who is making his Olympiad debut.
Ekunke heads into the competition with confidence after winning the World Rapid Amateur Chess Championship in Abuja in August. Despite the magnitude of competing at his first Olympiad, the youngster insists he will remain composed.
“I don’t think I’ll feel any pressure, actually. I’ll just stay relaxed and free, but I’ll also perform very well,” he said.
His ambition is shared by the wider team.
“We’ll perform better than we have ever performed before, and we won’t have any poor performances,” Ekunke declared.
Michelle Nwankwo is another young player eager to embrace the opportunity of representing Nigeria at the world’s biggest team chess competition.
“I feel really excited. It’s amazing to be able to represent your country at the Olympiad,” Nwankwo said.
“But you also have to stay strong and focused on the games so that you can perform well.”
Deborah Quickpen, meanwhile, believes her preparation has positioned her to handle the demands of the tournament. The teenager revealed that she had mentally prepared for the possibility of an Olympiad appearance even before her selection was confirmed.
“I’m confident that I’ll be able to handle the pressure because I was already preparing for the Olympiad before I even knew I would be selected,” Quickpen said.
