Platform Schools Lagos Storm Kazakhstan As First Nigerian Reps At World Chess Championships

Platform Schools, Ipaja, Lagos will have their chess team making a historic outing at the 2023 World Chess Championships in Aktau, Republic of Kazakhstan from August 3rd to 8th,  Completesports.com reports.

The organisers are looking forward to having a first-ever Nigerian representation in the World Chess Championship for schools. And Platform Schools, Ipaja, Lagos take pride of place in it, to make history in grand style.

The management led by Director, Dr Adebola Muiz Obe, and Proprietress, Mrs Olayemi Obe has virtually not left any stone unturned in making Platform Schools triumphant in many spheres.

The 2023 World Chess Championships, according to the organisers, will have over 50 schools from across the world participating. The venue, Halyk Arena [People’s Arena] – a multi-sport venue opened in 2021 by President Tokayev, is on the shore of the Caspian Sea in the city of Aktau.

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The tournament is organised by International Chess Federation, FIDE, and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, with investment company, Freedom Finance, as the main sponsor.

Platform Schools’ World Chess Championships-bound chess team and coach, Olumide Akindayini

Platform Schools
earned their spot at the 2023 World Chess Championship for schools after emerging champions at the 2023 National School Team Chess Championship organised by Nigeria Chess Federation with seven wins out of seven. The school’s team to the world stage in Kazakhstan comprises Adejuwon Aarif Adekanye, Amir Babatunde Obe, Daniel Olamide Taiwo, Taiwo Afopefoluwa Popoola, Isaac Olamiposi Oluborode, and their coach, Olumide Akindayini – a World Chess Federation certified School Instructor.

“For the first time in history, a school team from your
country [Nigeria], specifically the Platform Schools students from Ipaja, Lagos, will participate in the U-12 category,” Merzhan Tumanov, a journalist who will work as a media officer attached to Platform Schools Ipaja during the 2023 World Chess Championships told Completesports.com.

“There are only two age categories in the World Chess Championships: U-12 and U-18. A team should have exactly five players led by a non-player coach/captain. The team composition is regardless of gender, with a 4+1 format, meaning that there are four players “on board” and one substitution.

“The Nigerian team will participate only in the U-12 category. A win earns a team two points, a draw is valued at one point, and a loss is zero. The tournament will have eight tours based on swiss-system, meaning that winners will be matched against winners, subsequently losers vs losers.”

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World Chess Championships- bound: Platform Schools’ chess players

The Platform Schools’ chess team coach, Olumide Akindayini is enthusiastic about the lads’ final phase of preparations for the World Chess Championships.

“We are starting a chess camping class with the students and will be inviting players from other schools and levels to train with them and also to improve their learning process,” Akindayini told Completesports.com.

On the school’s qualification to represent Nigeria at the World Chess Championship, he added: “It had been very tasking, because we had to do a lot of trials within the school first, before the emergence of the five players who went on to play the qualifiers [2023 National School Team Chess Championship] at Chrisland School Lagos where we emerged the best school finishing with a perfect score of 7/7 to win the National Team School Championship.

“Then, some of the players also played in the South-West Chess Championship, playing with Adults for the first time, and practicing with the classical time control.”

By Nnamdi Ezekute

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