UI Chess club and the 3rd edition of UI Chess Ladder Games

Veronica Giwa

A game of Chess

Chess is one of the oldest board games played between two players. The game is played on a square-shaped board, divided into 64 smaller squares, in 8 by 8 column design; each of these smaller squares is painted in an alternating black and white colour, and played with 16 pieces. Each player’s objective, following fixed rules, is to capture the opponent’s king piece, a checkmate.

As board games go, Chess is one significant game in the University of Ibadan that has grown popular over the years.

The University of Ibadan Chess club.

The UI chess club is a body of chess lovers involved in chess-related activities within the university’s environment. It is “a group of chess lovers who love to meet and play chess both online and over the board.” Both students and alumni are members of the UI chess club.

Beyond the University, the UI chess club has produced participants who have won awards and cash prizes at interschool, FIDE-rated and national competitions in Nigeria.

How do I learn chess?

Although attaining mastery of the game may take a while, learning to play the game at a basic level is quite straightforward, and the time duration to learn the game varies from person to person. The mastery of a chess game inevitably requires dedication, a great deal of calmness, and the ability to think through complex situations. It is however gratifying once one becomes a master of the chess game. Also, Chess can be learnt alone because of its complex moves and positions—requires reading books, watching videos and playing Electronic/App chess, as well as participating in different matches with other players. Hence, the UI chess club can be a great platform students can join to learn how to play the game or become a better player at the game of chess while building relationships with other chess players.

What benefits do I get from playing chess?

If you are thinking of learning a board game, learning the chess game may not be a bad idea, as its benefits cannot be overemphasized. However, we can safely divide these benefits into two aspects, internal benefits and external benefits.

Internal Benefits
Chess helps in many ways than one; from developing some cognitive skills—memory, problem-solving, critical thinking, creative and strategic planning skills, to Its health benefits–improving self-awareness, reducing the symptoms of health conditions like dementia, panic attacks and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD (characterised by chronic boredom).

External Benefits
Other external benefits might include awards, recognition/fame, cash prizes, meeting with dignitaries and many more.

I need some inspirations
Watch Magnus, Brooklyn castle and Queen of Katwe. These movies highlight youngsters who rose to greatness playing competitive chess. It is important to note, that some of these movies, are actually a documentary of a real events in the real world.

Are there drawbacks?
Like any other game, Chess has its drawbacks. Chess is time-consuming and can be exhausting. Learning the moves and positions can take time and energy.
Competitive rankings and performance may cause anxiety and loss of sleep. Whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks depends on each individual.

The third edition of UI chess Ladder Games

As the name implies, Ladder (Àkàbà) games categorize chess players based on their performances at the competition. It is often played at designated centres like the Youth friendly centre.

The 2nd edition of the game was in March, while the 3rd edition starts 1st of April. Registration is free and always opens to students, alumni, and friends of the UI chess club.

In the open category winners from 1st to 8th position wins cash prizes ranging from 7000 naira to 1000 naira. However, the first five female winners go home with cash prizes ranging from 5000 naira to 10000 naira. Time control is 15 mins + 10 secs with 6 rounds Swiss (Swiss– no player is eliminated until the rounds are completed). Matches start at 9 am at the Youth Friendly Centre along Tech Road.

NAMES OF WINNERS FOR THE THIRD EDITION OF THE CHESS CLUB

In the female category, Eyefia Endurance won #5,000 after winning 3 rounds out of 6. Agbola Tomisin, Solomon Oluwatodimu, Daramola Amanda and Ogunbayo Damisire each won #2,500 after winning 2 rounds out of 6.

However, In the Open Category, Akporherhe Blessing and Soliu Hassan came first and won #7,000 each after winning 5.5 rounds out of 6. The trio, Joseph Eze, Mufutau Waris and Promise Oziegbe came third and won #4000 each after winning 5 rounds out of 6. Lamber Toyin and Oguntona Abraham came 6th after winning 4.5 rounds out of 6. Oyeyemi Ayomide Solomon, Oyelami Emmanuel, Sambo Joseph, Azeez Faizol, Adeniran Joseph, Ogbonna Henry, Alamu Kolade, Sambo Samson came 8th and got #1000 each after winning 2 rounds out of 6.