CHESS PLAYERS COMMENTS

The final formation of the Nigeria Chess Players Association may not operate the way chess players suggested below but their comments are posted here to reflect the intent and the thinking of most Nigeria chess players which is mostly forward looking and progressive. It also conveys a sense of urgency for a change of direction in the way chess is run in Nigeria. How to make a difference is what the members of the NCPA will then decide when it is fully formed.


By Ini Umoh

Nigeria is a country that should have had more than six Gms by now ..


By Diran Ogungbola

I have said this before, it seems like a foolish contribution or people are not thinking about it.We need an alternate body for chess in Nigeria. And it doesnt have to be recognized by Ministry of sports in the beginning. Think of it, how did P.C.A get recognition? If the strongest players in Nigeria refuse to deal with NCF and they deal with an alternate body, there would be a media hype about it.

Think of all the boxing federations, now they are talking of unification belt, same thing happened to chess. We had to unify both the PCA and Fide champions. What I am saying is that we can be strong and form our own chess body and let us get all the possible signatures for all masters, opens and women. It would be embarassing for NCF if they ever find a sponsor and the 'real' players refuse to show up. They can go ahead and use 10% of the sponsorship money for prices as long as they want but people would really start thinking of what chess players are saying.

Or the other alternative is for us to moan and complain about bad sports administration till we drop. If we want to act, we need to register an association in Nigeria for chess that means well for chess. We would work to get recognition for it, slowly but surely.
I tell you, nothing is happening much in Nigerian chess anyway so this is the time for us to act and not talk or comment!!!

I.T. Admin
Ogere, Nigeria

P.S: Just think of friends of chess and it's administration, you might get a clue when you look at selflessness and passion; My 10 kobo contribution has been said

By Ukere Ughemetani

Hello great chess players

I welcome the idea of the Nigeria chess players association(NCPA) but i do not like the idea that it should be a body complimenting the activities of the Nigeria chess federation(NCF) because the NCF as we all know is a "Lame dock" and we(NCPA) would not want to be associated with them.Over the years, the NCF has failed in reaching the lowest crescendo in the development of chess or building confidence in chess players in Nigeria.

We have to make the NCF live up to its name by running NCPA as a concurrent body and not as one complimenting the NCF.we have to make the world chess community see NCF as they truly are.The lack of planning,coordination ,honesty, prudency and transparency of the Sports Ministry should be exposed and by extension the NCF.Friends this is the only way we can achieve success,let everything be exposed,let there be an accountability,let there be transperacy. We must avoid the hokeypokey of the NCF and strive to bring chess to world class standard.The GMs of the world dont have two heads and four legs and four hands.

Nigeria chess players are talented and i am positive that the NCPA will be a propelling force to the development of chess in NIgeria "if and only if" they Promote Chess, Strive for Excellence, Organize and Sponsor Member Chess Players to Local and International Chess Tournaments and Support member chess players in their quest for the IM and Grandmaster Titles without seeing the NCF as a superior body or the only body that govern chess in Nigeria.

The establishment of the NCPA should be the dawn of a new era in chess for Nigeria chess players which will ultimately eradicate the Lame dock session.

Congratulations to all Nigeria chess players and Nigeria chess players in diaspora on the birth of NCPA.

Thanks.
Philadelphia, USA


By Pauline Lewis Ikpa

............................... I believe it is time for all chessplayers to focus on CHANGE AND HOW TO ACCOMPLISH IT and not hope for NCF to change. The big question is where do we (chessplayers) start? I would say from OURSELVES it might sound a little self-centre but we need to act now!

By Sorungbe Ademola

.................. I have seen players fall victim to the ineffectiveness of some others. I have seen chess players robed daylight. I have seen players fall victim of tribalism and favoritism within the Nigerian chess circle.

I have seen…, I have seen……., and I’ve also heard.

Tunde Omotosho (Tosh), Wole Awoyemi, Charles Campbell etc ‘Where are you?’ Young men of zeal and determination, whom after surmounting all the trials of this world were said to be inexperienced and not competent to represent their fatherland.

Bunmi Olape (Gateway Games 2006 blitz), Marcel (Bayelsa Board Games 2008), and numerous others, ‘Where are you?’ Men and women that have been at one time or the other robed by the ‘arbiter’s discretion’ syndrome- now a safe haven for tribalism and favoritism. I’m sure you can hear me.

Odion Aikhoje (IM), ‘Where are you?’ Haven done the nation proud at the chess Olympiad in Elista didn’t have anything to show for it, not even his gold medal.

Austin Apemiye, ‘Where are you too?’ You have clamored for the use of the standard added-time system in rapid play, now you are tired.

Dasaolu Rotimi, Fola Akintola (IM), and others…. ‘Where are you?’ Great men, who refused to be used as pawns by the NCF, who were somewhere counting their ‘losses’ while we others gathered pitifully under the same roof in the National stadium. They alone were left by us to pay the price for chess in Nigeria.

I am calling to everyone (mentioned and not mentioned) who have at one time or the other fallen victim to these evils befalling our chess. I am calling you, ‘Come and hear the BENEFICIARIES of your demise complain too’

Yes! It is the truth! We all are guilty. We all are guilty (even myself) of haven accepted one favor or the other at the unjust expense of another chess player or group of chess players.

Again, I see individual broomsticks fighting for themselves, and not the entire bunch for each other. I therefore wonder if we are truly one family (Gens una sumus ???????).

Enough of these scanty individual complaints! Complaints that fade away easily without solutions! Let’s stand for each other, and stop accepting favors that come as a result of an injustice done to our fellow player. In fact, let’s stop talking, let’s start acting! Let us SHOW we are truly one family! .................


By Idada Joachim

After reading the issue concerning the "Odion", i tend to disagree with some of the point been raised. First, I must state that the gold should have earned him a national but it did not. The question is why?

We must recognize that the situation with chess will not change if people continue to think that others should build while we "chop". Let me go down memory lane , In the 70s thorugh to the early 90 ‘s we had upwards of 11 tournament annually, but why did they die?

As a very old leisure chess player who was interested in the growth of the game, I establish FIJI chess club and the School chess development Committee (SCDC) which were aimed at promoting chess at different levels. Let me not talk about the successes but the challenges

In the club. I sponsored the following tournaments.
1. Man Versus Computer Chess Tounament.
2. 3rd weekend chess Tournament
3. Invitational Chess Tounament.

What transpired in these tournaments is now history. A thing I realized from all these events is that chess players will only participate in events that offer them prizes especially cash. Chess will not grow that way.

During the invitational chess tournament I had to pay NCF money to get the Tourny rated and had to pay the arbiter who was a senior chess player who ended up not been committed. At the end to tourney the NCF messed up the event as the 1st and 2nd player were to be sponsored by me to participate in the British Opens but because of visa issue which the NCF secretary could not meet at the embassy as she wanted to do racket, she withdrawn the visa applications for the players.

We must play because we enjoy the game not because there is something to win. At least that is the least contribution any chess lover can give to the game.

2. Through the SCDC, I in conjunction with some teachers and proprietors in different schools
promoted and established 26 chess club different school. I single handedly sponsored the
inter-school annual league for 3 years until Tom Tom came in but they only provided the
shield and trophies’ but I had to underwrite the cost of running and managing the league. One sad thing that happened was that while I was spending my money for the love of the game certain people were planning to discredit me and passed all manner of aspersion at my person. How sad! I introduced the then chairman of the NCF to the brand manager of Tom-Tom with a view to get greater commitment from the brand or corporately but even during the closing ceremonies which he did not attend where he was to be the special guest of honour..

Media issue is a different challenge. I koow how much i have spent on media to give chess leverage. from Television to print. I had to publish a magazine, Chess Dynamic to promote chess but the players will not buy a copy. Nothing is free in this world. chess players must reliase this. Different countries have at least one specialise publication dedicated to chess.

Very recently, i had to sponsor and present a TV programme, Game Zone that was dedicated to board game especially chess but there is nobody that stand out as the voice to chess. At least, I not interview myself.

Why are we all pointing to the ministry? This is the only place we can get free money which we can squander, and embezzle without having cause to account for such/

We should stop blaming others but ourselves because nobody will develop our game for us.

To end my piece today I will suggest that we organize a conference to discuss all issues affecting our darling game as a starting point.

I must recognise those who in no little way are tring to keep chess from dieing but untill all these effort are cordinated and not selfish nothing tremendous will happen to chess.

Something I must say is that chess will not die, many people will me will not allow that happen, we are only going though a transition.