Widely tagged as ‘The best chess event in Nigeria’s history’, the National Chess Championship of Nigeria 2021, lived up to the hype preceding it. 342 players from across Nigeria gathered at Orchid Hotel, Lekki to compete for ratings and prizes. When visitors and guestsare considered, there were close to a thousand participants at the one week chess carnival. There were many categories and titles to battle for but the most important were those of ‘National Chess Champion’ and ‘National Women Chess Champion of Nigeria’. At the end of what turned out to be an epic battle among the elite players of Nigeria, it was International Master Femi Balogun who became Nigeria’s Chess Champion and Women FIDE Master Perpetual Ogbiyoyo who became the National Women Chess Champion of Nigeria.
IM Femi Balogun, a member of Orchid-Lekki Chess Club, amassed 7 out of 9 points after a round robin tournament against 9 other invited elite players in Nigeria. Remarkably, Balogun did not lose any game at the championship. In the female category, WFM Perpetual Ogbiyoyowent through nine tough rounds and lost only once. She ended up with 7 out of 9 points to beat 9 other elite players to the women chess champion title. Playing a combination of positional and tactical chess, 24 year old Perpetual demonstrated adequate preparation, mental toughness and a strong will to win throughout the championship. It will be risky betting against her to remain the best female chess player in Nigeria for some time.
