By Oluwatobiloba Kumoye
Team Nigeria endured another difficult outing at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with both the men’s and women’s teams suffering defeats in Round 7.
The Nigerian men were beaten 3–1 by Libya in the Open section, while the women lost 2½–1½ to Suriname, leaving both teams on six match points after seven rounds.
The men went into the encounter seeking a response after a heavy 4–0 defeat to Vietnam in Round 6. They started brightly against Libya, with Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem securing Nigeria’s only victory of the match.
Abdulraheem defeated Mohammed Midhat Abdulrahman on Board One, but Nigeria could not build on that advantage.
Odion Aikhoje lost to Ali Elier, Bartholomew Emmanuel Okhipo was beaten by Yousef A. Alhassadi, while Odey Goodness Ekunke also fell to Tawfik ezzeddin Kweiri as Libya completed a 3–1 victory.
The result leaves Nigeria with three wins and four defeats from seven rounds. The team has scored 12½ individual board points and sits 126th in the Open standings with six match points.
For the women’s team, Suriname produced a 2½–1½ victory to halt Nigeria’s attempt to recover from its 3–1 defeat to Austria in the previous round.
Nigeria’s Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo remains one of the team’s standout performers. The 1997-rated entered Round 7 with 4½ points from six games, having remained unbeaten through her first five matches before her Round 6 defeat to Austria’s Chiara Polterauer.
After seven rounds, Nigeria’s women have two wins, two draws and three defeats, giving them six match points. They have accumulated 14 board points and are ranked 105th in the women’s competition.
The Nigerian women’s squad in Samarkand comprises Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen, Iyefu Joy Onoja, Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo, Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi and Bridget Michael.
With four rounds remaining, both Nigerian teams still have an opportunity to improve their positions before the Olympiad concludes on September 27.
Round 8 is scheduled for Thursday, September 24. Nigeria meets Guyana in the men’s event while the women have a date to keep with Lesotho as the teams continue their campaign in one of the world’s biggest international team chess competitions.
The 2026 Olympiad features 11 rounds in both the Open and women’s sections.
