THE third edition of the Nigeria National Chess Championship has kicked off in Lagos with the opening ceremony at the Orchid Lekki Hotel.
This year’s edition has been extended to 12 top chess players from the previous 10 in the past two editions for battle for the national title in a round rubin format.
Eight players with direct qualification, including defending champion, top five rated players, the best junior player and the wildcard player selected by the president of the Nigeria Chess Federation.
The other four are selected from the winners of a qualification tournament.
The championship will be concluded on October the 9, 2023.
For the first time, the Nigeria Chess Federation is inducting Nigerian legends in the chess game and former national champions into the Nigeria Chess Hall of Fame. Seven individuals and two organisations are the pioneer inductees.
The individuals include Dr Sylvanus Ebigwe, the founder of the Nigerian Chess Federation and he is referred to as the father of chess in Nigeria.
