Team Nigeria’s men and women are both on six match points after contrasting results on Sunday at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The men’s team bounced back in style from their Round 4 loss to Cuba, crushing Malawi 3.5 – 0.5 in Round 5.
On Board 1, Bomo Lovet Kigigha was held to a draw by Joseph Mwale, but it was total dominance on the other boards. Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem beat Chiletso Chipanga, Odion Aikhoje defeated George Mwale, and 15-year-old sensation Odey Goodness Ekunke sealed the win by beating Joseph Xavier Nyambalo.
With the victory, Aikhoje and Ekunke have now moved to 3.5 points each after five games. Abdulraheem is on 2.5 points and Kigigha on 2 points. The men now have three wins and two losses from five rounds.
The women’s team showed grit to earn a 2-2 draw against higher-rated Czech Republic.
Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen lost to Joanna Worek on the top board, but Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo brought Nigeria level with a win over Anna Lhotska. After Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi lost to Lucie Rybackova, Bridget Michael held her nerve to beat Tereza Rodshtein and secure the draw.
Nwankwo continues to be Nigeria’s star performer in Samarkand with 4.5 points from five games.
The women remain unbeaten in their last four rounds, with two wins, two draws and one defeat.
Attention now turns to Round 6 on Monday, September 21, the last round before Tuesday’s rest day.
The Nigerian men, ranked 66th in the pairing, will face Vietnam, who are coming off a 2.5-1.5 loss to Poland. The match starts at 3 p.m. Samarkand time.
The women will take on Austria. Both teams are level on six match points, with Austria ranked 43rd.
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, which runs from September 16 to 27, features 11 rounds.
