The 2026 FIDE World Amateur Rapid Championship in Abuja has delivered a lively opening day, with the first three rounds producing perfect scores, early shocks and a chasing pack shaped as much by resilience as by rating.
After three rounds, five players have kept flawless starts: FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha, Odey Goodness Ekunke, CM Toluwanimi Okemakinde, Augustine Imohede Apemiye and AFM Aryan Raj. Kigigha beat Lanre Seye Oluwalasinu in Round 3, Ekunke defeated Vasia Ajuba, Okemakinde stopped AIM Sahil Sanjay Shejal, Apemiye beat CM Pankaj Sharma, while Raj continued his remarkable run by defeating Joseph Sambo.
The story of the early rounds, however, has not belonged only to the favourites. CM Pankaj Sharma of India announced himself immediately with a stunning Round 1 victory over second seed FM Eugene Ekpoikong Unwana. He followed that with another win over Veteran player – Theophilus Caiafas, reaching 2/2 before Apemiye halted him in Round 3.
Sharma’s start should not be dismissed as a random surprise. The Indian CM has already shown pedigree in amateur world competition, having been among the leaders midway through the 2024 FIDE World Amateur Championship Open U2000 before finishing ninth on 6/9. FIDE’s midpoint report listed CM Pankaj Sharma among the leaders on 4.5/5. The final 2024 ranking lists CM Sharma, Pankaj in ninth place with 6 points.
If Sharma lit the first spark, AFM Aryan Raj has carried the upset theme even further. Rated 1665, Raj beat Dennis Daramola, Olaonikpekun Agusto and Joseph Sambo in succession to reach 3/3. His Round 3 victory over Sambo, rated 2106, was one of the clearest statements of the day.
There was also another major blow to the top order as Vidal Noumbo defeated Unwana in Round 3, leaving the second seed on a difficult 1/3 start. For a player expected to be among the title challengers, it has been a punishing opening stretch.
Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi also produced one of the day’s important Nigerian highlights, defeating Odafe Benedict Efemuai in Round 3. Rated 1873 against Efemuai’s 2069, Omoruyi’s win was another reminder that the lower boards were not the only places producing resistance against higher-rated opposition. It was a clean rating upset and a strong response after her opening-round loss to top seed Bomo Kigigha.
Among the Nigerian hopefuls, top seed FM Bomo Kigigha has looked steady and professional. He opened with victory over Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi, followed up by beating Oladapo Bolaji Adeoti, then added a third win against Oluwalasinu. With 3/3, Kigigha remains exactly where the top seed wants to be: in control, unbeaten and in the leading group.
But the field around him is already dangerous. Ekunke, Okemakinde and Apemiye have matched his pace, while Raj’s run has injected a genuine underdog storyline into the championship. Tersoo Moses Adekpe, unrated, also remains unbeaten after starting with two wins and drawing Kumar Saket in Round 3.
After three rounds, Abuja has already produced a tournament with texture. The favourites are alive, but the lower-rated players have made it clear that reputation alone will not survive this championship. The race for the 2026 FIDE World Amateur Rapid title is underway, and the first day has belonged as much to the upset-makers as to the leaders.
