The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dayspring School, Lagos, and Marvelvine Montessori School, also in Lagos, have emerged winners in the tertiary, secondary, and primary schools’ categories of the 2024 Ecobank National Schools Team Chess competition held at the Pan African Centre, Lagos.
The Chess competition, described as the largest gathering of chess players in Africa, attracted over 1,200 players from over 250 schools across 18 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Vice President, Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), Adeyinka Adewole, expressed excitement that the championship, which was introduced last year when the International Chess Federation (ICF) started the World Schools Team Chess Championship, has grown in leaps and bounds.
He noted that the 2024 edition attracted over 1,200 participants, describing NCF’s partnership with Ecobank as a shining example of the public-private partnership needed for the advancement of sports in Nigeria.
118 primary schools, 86 secondary schools, and 42 tertiary institutions participated and battled for prizes of over N15 million at the three-day tournament.
At the end of the tournament, the University of Lagos came tops in the tertiary school category, followed by the University of Benin and Chess in Slums Africa (CISA), while DaySpring School, Platforms School, Ireti Senior Grammar School came first, second and third respectively in the secondary school category.
For the Primary school category, Marvelvine Montessori School came first, while Scholars Academy, Ibadan was second best followed by Okikioluwa Junior in the third position.
The NCF boss said: “When we introduced this championship last year, only 15 schools participated, but today we have over 250 schools. This is a remarkable accomplishment for us in the Nigeria Chess Federation, and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the unwavering support of Ecobank.
“We are grateful for their generous support and unwavering commitment to empowering young minds and fostering intellectual growth. Your sponsorship has made this event possible, and your dedication to the development of chess among Nigerian youth is truly commendable,” he said.
The Managing Director/Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal, said their decision to sponsor the Chess competition was to further showcase Ecobank’s commitment to supporting intellectual and sports development in Nigeria, being part of Ecobank’s strategic human capital development drive.
“The winners here today are ‘rising stars and I must say this is in line with our objective of supporting children and youths as the next generation of changemakers. This sponsorship aligns with our overall long-term vision of building a world-class Pan African bank that contributes to the economic and financial integration of the continent.”
Speaking at the occasion, Sports Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, represented by the Director, Federal Ministry of Sports Liaison Office in Lagos, Ms Ikana Mbora, said the ministry is proud of the NCF, just as he commended the students for their resilience and determination to win as “this represents the Nigerian can-do spirit”.
It would be recalled that Platform Schools, Ikeja, Lagos emerged as the national champion at the first National Schools Team Chess Championship held last year, earning the honourof representing Nigeria at the World Schools Team Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.
