The Gateway Games Festival Chess Tournament 2025, held in Ikene, Ogun State, has concluded, leaving behind a trail of remarkable performances and commendable organizational strides. This year’s edition not only highlighted the prowess of Nigerian chess players but also underscored the Nigerian Chess Federation’s (NCF) commitment to elevating the standards of chess tournaments in the country.
The tournament witnessed intense competition among state teams, with younger players demonstrating remarkable strategic brilliance and resilience. Once again, this is strong evidence that professional chess is truly growing in Nigeria.
Team Oyo, a star-studded squad, emerged as a dominant force throughout the competition. The team featured notable players such as African Zone 4.2 Champion FM Abdulrahman Akintoye, multiple NSF medalist CM Abiola Akinseye, Super Zonal Champion Tennyson, IM Balogun Oluwafemi, CM Kennedy Onapite, and Oyepitan. Their consistent performances culminated in them being crowned champions of the Gateway Games Chess 2025, finishing with 6 team gold medals, along with 3 individual gold medals and 1 silver board Medal.
“This marks the return of Team Oyo to the championship position for the first time since Delta 2022, where Team Bayelsa claimed the title.”
Team Bayelsa, led by FM Kigigha Bomo Lovett, delivered a strong showing as well, finishing as first runners-up. They narrowly edged out Delta State by just one match point—a reversal of the 2021 Edo Festival results, where Delta State finished ahead of Bayelsa in second place.
A standout performance came from 14-year-old Ekunke Odey Goodness, who made his second appearance at the National Sports Festival. He significantly contributed to Bayelsa’s campaign by scoring an impressive 5 points from 7 games, earning a silver medal on his board.
Ogun State, the host team, also put up a commendable performance. However, their championship hopes were halted by the formidable Oyo State in Round 6, after which the competition became more intense for them. Despite this, two Ogun State players clinched individual medals:
- Matan Adebayo Oludayo won gold on Board 5, and
- Ogunsanya Tobiloba secured bronze on Board 6.
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | – | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | OYO | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 29,5 | 320,5 |
| 2 | 4 | BAYELSA | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 25 | 264 |
| 3 | 3 | DELTA | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 23,5 | 250,5 |
| 4 | 6 | LAGOS | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 218 |
| 5 | 5 | RIVERS | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 24,5 | 229,5 |
| 6 | 15 | KANO | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 21,5 | 177,5 |
| 7 | 2 | EDO | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 194,5 |
| 8 | 10 | OSUN | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 156 |
| 9 | 7 | YOBE | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 18,5 | 162 |
| 10 | 17 | IMO | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 150,5 |
| 11 | 16 | AKWA-IBOM | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 131 |
| 12 | 12 | OGUN | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 158,5 |
| 13 | 18 | EKITI | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 122,5 |
| 14 | 13 | KWARA | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 145,5 |
| 15 | 23 | ADAMAWA | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16,5 | 136,5 |
| 16 | 9 | KADUNA | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 18,5 | 139 |
| 17 | 8 | ANAMBRA | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 146,5 |
| 18 | 26 | BAUCHI | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 15,5 | 126,5 |
| 19 | 19 | FCT | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 82,5 |
| 20 | 22 | ABIA | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13,5 | 102,5 |
| 21 | 14 | PLATEAU | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12,5 | 87,5 |
| 22 | 27 | KOGI | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 79,5 |
| 23 | 21 | NASARAWA | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14,5 | 97,5 |
| 24 | 24 | BENUE | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 75 |
| 25 | 11 | TARABA | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 10,5 | 69,5 |
| 26 | 25 | KATSINA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 27 | 20 | KEBBI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Women’s Section: Rivers State Dominates Against the Odds
In the women’s section of the tournament, Team Rivers reigned supreme, finishing with an outstanding 7 wins and 1 draw out of 9 games. What made their victory even more remarkable was that they competed with just four players instead of the required five, yet still managed to clinch the championship title, along with 2 individual gold medals and 1 bronze medal. Now that’s a powerful display of strength, form, and resilience!
Team Delta edged out Team Oyo for the silver medal, winning on tie-break (TB2). Delta also secured two individual golds, one silver, and one bronze, compared to Oyo’s tally of one silver and two bronze individual medals.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa women’s team, who entered the tournament as the top seed and pre-event favorites, struggled to convert their promising start into podium success. They ultimately finished fourth in the final standings.
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
| Rk. | SNo | Team | Games | + | = | – | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | RIVERS | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 26 | 150 |
| 2 | 3 | DELTA | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 24 | 138 |
| 3 | 2 | OYO | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 23,5 | 141 |
| 4 | 1 | BAYELSA | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 25,5 | 105 |
| 5 | 4 | LAGOS | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 117 |
| 6 | 7 | KWARA | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 22,5 | 79,5 |
| 7 | 8 | OGUN | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 74 |
| 8 | 15 | ABIA | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 63 |
| 9 | 9 | PLATEAU | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 71 |
| 10 | 5 | EDO | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16,5 | 66 |
| 11 | 14 | BAUCHI | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 15,5 | 42,5 |
| 12 | 16 | BENUE | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 41,5 |
| 13 | 17 | IMO | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18,5 | 34,3 |
| 14 | 12 | OSUN | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 53 |
| 15 | 13 | AKWA IBOM | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 36,8 |
| 16 | 11 | YOBE | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12,5 | 20,8 |
| 17 | 19 | NASARAWA | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2,5 |
| 18 | 10 | KEBBI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 19 | 18 | KOGI | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2,5 | 0 |
We reached out to players for their insights and impressions of the event. Here’s what they shared with us.
My experience during the event wasn’t so bad
Iguehi, Elora Oise
Although it was a bit disorganized and there were some issues with the inputting of the results
But overall it was a good event
TO BE CONTINUED…
