Nigeria's Olape wins 'Friends' with Performance
Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria

Femi Solaja, "Olape wins 'Friends of Chess' Tourney," This Day, 14 April 2004 (Lagos, Nigeria).

Gold medallist at the 8th All Africa Games in Abuja, National Master Bunmi Olape, last weekend emerged the winner of the 4th "Friends of Chess" tournament held at the Rowe park Sports centre, Yaba Lagos. Olape, a veteran of international competitions, brushed aside tough opposition from the likes of International Master Odion Aikhoje, Adebayo Adegboyega and Charles Campbell and won on tie break with seven points alongside Fola Akintola in the FIDE category.

The competition, which was sponsored by Anode group of companies based in Australia, had 152 participants in different categories but the FIDE section had only 10 players made up of five rated and undated players. The corner robin event was in nine rounds.

Olape and Akintola both received N35,000 each for their efforts. In the Masters Category,
Abiye Williams and Seun Bisiriyu are joint first while woman FIDE Master Tobi Olatunji won in the female category and won cash prize of N20,000 while Busola Adepitan and Merit Chekwas are joint second and both received a cash prize of N12,500 each.

Among the highlights of the four-day event was that two unrated players,
Chikwere Onyekwuere and Charles Campbell bagged the minimum FIDE ratings of 2200 each but it still has to be ratified by the World Chess body later in the year.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 15 April 2004