Nigerian Women Battle for Olympiad Spots

Chess Trial: Adegboyega, Jeje Lead Others to Final StageBy Femi Solaja 07.29.2008 After four days of intense chess display, 12 players have qualified for the final stage of the World Chess Olympiad trial put together by the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF) which was rounded up at the National Stadium, Lagos Sunday. Adebayo Adegboyega, a veteran of several World Chess Olympiads, showed shades of genus in the middle games as he led 29 others with 5.5 points out of seven games Swiss-round event in the male section out of which six players qualified for the final stage of the trial. The other five qualifiers in the category are: Benjamin Omorere also with 5.5 points, Kolade Onabogun, Ajibola Olanrewaju, Charles Campbell and Bomo Kigigha all who finished with five points respectively. In the crucial final game, veteran Campbell exploited his better prowess in Nimzo Indian Defence (b6) on move four over youthful John Fawole, who failed to keep the tempo in white colour and a dubious h4 move on 48 gave his opponent’s light Bishop a wide control of the board and at the brink of time forfeit cause an exchange of Queens but when the smoke cleared, the young prodigy was a pawn down and surrendered on move 73. In the female action, the trio of Elizabeth Coker, Tolu Jeje and Uwa Obasi led the final qualification with five points each while Modupeola Adesanya, Folusayo Togun and veteran Rachael-Edward Dappa all picked the remaining slots for a chance in the final Olympiad trial which will come up next month from 13th-17th at the SWAN Secretariat at the National Stadium, Lagos. The final trial will be held on a round robin basis and will produce three players from each category while the two from Nigeria Players in Diaspora will make up the remaining two to complete the five players that will represent the country at the World Chess Olympiad in Dresden Germany in November.