UNILAG DaySpring School, others shine at Ecobank’s National Schools Team Chess Championship
CITIZENS COMPASS– University of Lagos (UNILAG), DaySpring School, and Marvelvine Montessori School in Lagos, have emerged winners in the tertiary, secondary and primary schools’ categories of the 2024 Ecobank National Schools’ Teams Chess Competition at the Pan African Centre in Lagos over the weekend.
The Chess Competition which has been described as the largest gathering of chess players in Africa attracted over 1200 players from over 250 schools across 18 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Vice President, Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), Prince Adeyinka Adewole, expressed excitement that the Championship which was introduced last year when the International Chess Federation (ICF) started the World Schools Team Chess Championship has grown in leap and bounds. He noted that the 2024 edition attracted over 1200 participants, describing NCF’s partnership with Ecobank as a shining example of the public-private partnership needed for the advancement of sports in Nigeria.
“118 primary schools, 86 secondary schools, and 42 tertiary institutions participated and jostled for prizes of over N15 million at the three-day tournament which took place between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC) in Victoria Lagos. At the end of the highly competitive tournament, University of Lagos came tops in the tertiary school category and was followed by University of Benin and Chess in Slums Africa (CISA) while DaySpring School, Platforms School, Ireti Senior Grammar School came first, second and third respectively in the secondary school category. For the Primary school category, Marvelvine Montessori School came first while Scholars Academy, Ibadan was second best and followed by Ostudents for their resilience and determination to win as “this represents the Nigerian can do spirit”.
It would be recalled that Platform Schools, Ikeja, Lagos emerged as the national champion at the first National Schools Team Chess Championship held last year earning the honor to represent Nigeria at the World Schools Team Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.
The Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF) is the national governing body for chess in Nigeria. It was established in 1975 and is responsible for promoting, regulating and developing chess in Nigeria. The NCF is a federation under the Federal Ministry of Sport Development, and it is affiliated with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and follows its rules and regulations. The objectives of the NCF include organizing national and international chess tournaments, training and selecting chess players to represent Nigeria in international competitions, and promoting the game of chess at all levels, from grassroots to elite. The NCF organizes various chess events throughout the year, and has also been successful in producing strong chess players who have represented Nigeria in international tournaments. These players have achieved notable successes, including winning medals in African Chess Championships and participating in Chess Olympiads.
