More than 80 chess players from across Nigeria are competing in the 2026 Southeast Chess Classic holding in Umuahia, Abia State, as organisers seek to discover and develop emerging talents in the sport.
The four-day tournament, which began on Wednesday, September 23, has attracted players, coaches, arbiters, administrators and other stakeholders from different parts of the country.
Flagging off the competition, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sir Nwobilor Nwadinma Ananaba, said the tournament was part of efforts to create opportunities for young people to develop their talents and compete at higher levels.
Ananaba said chess promotes strategic thinking, discipline, patience and sound decision-making, adding that the skills could benefit young people beyond the sporting arena.
He said the administration of Governor Alex Otti would continue to support grassroots sports development and initiatives capable of producing athletes for national and international competitions.
The State Director of Sports, Comrade Obioma George, said the government was committed to identifying promising athletes and providing platforms for their development.
“ At the end of every competition, we pick the best, nurture them and showcase them in the next competition,” George said.
The Southeast Zonal Representative on the Nigerian Chess Federation Board, Onyekwere Macdonald, said increased tournaments and training programmes had contributed to the growth of chess in the region.
Macdonald said the activities had also helped increase the number of trained arbiters and other personnel, expressing hope that the Southeast would eventually produce a grandmaster and other internationally recognised players.
He attributed Abia’s hosting of the tournament partly to the state’s growing investment in sports and chess development.
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Lukman Okala, described chess as an important intellectual aspect of sports and commended the organisers for creating a platform for young players to compete and improve their skills.
Some participants, including Miracle Omesu and 12-year-old Theophilius Ugochi, said chess had helped them develop skills useful in everyday life, while the prospect of attaining higher titles and earning rewards had encouraged them to take the sport more seriously.
