The tradition of the chess event at the National Sports Festival is to have both Classical and Blitz events. Every player wants to prove they know how to play blitz. An avenue to showcase your speed and accuracy, an opportunity for states and players to harvest more medals.
Report by Tolulope Fasinu
A lot of energy goes into this, just as it is done in classical chess events, the only difference is that a blitz is an individual event so there are no board strategy nor team medals. However, at the start of the blitz event, all states have the right to present two players.
The blitz format is such that all fielded players compete together in a nine (9) round swiss tournament, then the top eight (8) players will be taken to the quarter-finals after which only 4 players will make it into the semi-finals and then two (2) players will play the finals.
In this edition, forty-seven (47) players from different states were fielded in the male section and thirty-seven (37) in the female section.
Click Starting Rank for Male Category.
Chess Olympian FM Chukwunonso Oragwu (Delta) won blitz gold medal after battling and defeating players like; FM Adegboyega Adebayo (Bayelsa) In the Quarter-finals and knocking out IM Daniel Anwuli (Oyo) in the Semi-Finals, finally conquering IM Odion Aikhoje (Bayelsa) in the finals leaving the International master with the Silver medal.
The Bronze medal was going to Oyo state anyways. FM Abimbola Osunfuyi (Oyo) won the Bronze medal by defeating IM Daniel Anwuli (Oyo) in the Armageddon match after playing 1-1 in the standard semi-final match of two games.
Click Starting Rank for Female
After the first 8 rounds in the female section, players that made it into the quarter-finals were;
- Peace Samson
- Iyefu Onoja Joy
- Ofowino Toritsemuwa
- Enomah Emmanuella Trust
- Agiri Amarachi
- Assa Oluwaseun
- Michael Briget Ogwah
- Eyefia Endurance
Eventually after 8 games, Emmanuella Trust (Oyo) won Gold medal by defeating WIM—Elect Ofowino Toritsemuwa in the finals. Toritsemuwa (Delta) takes home Silver medal and Samson Peace (Oyo) won Bronze medal. Note that the two Oyo state players in the blitz event are Gold and Bronze medalists.
BruvsChess Media covered the blitz tournament live on our Instagram page, click to watch below:
Report by Tolulope Fasinu
