Nigeria seek bounce-back at Chess Olympiad

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Nigeria’s men’s and women’s teams will look to bounce back from their Round 6 defeats when they return to action at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Wednesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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The men will face Libya in Round 7, with both teams entering the encounter on six match points, while the women take on Suriname as they seek to recover from their 3-1 defeat to Austria.

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Nigeria’s men have a slight edge over Libya on board points, 11½ to 10½, setting up a closely contested encounter as both sides attempt to improve their positions after six rounds.

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The Nigerian men suffered their third defeat of the competition on Monday, going down 4-0 to Vietnam after recording three victories in their opening five rounds.

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Bomo Kigigha, Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem, Odion Aikhoje and Odey Goodness Ekunke all lost their games against Vietnam.

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The result came after Nigeria bounced back from their Round 4 defeat to Cuba with a convincing 3½-½ victory over Malawi in Round 5. Kigigha drew on board one, while Akintoye, Aikhoje and Ekunke secured wins.

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Aikhoje and Ekunke had both accumulated 3½ points from their first five games before their defeats against Vietnam.

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The women, meanwhile, will be hoping to halt a two-round winless run when they meet Suriname.

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They settled for a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic in Round 5 before suffering their first defeat in three rounds against Austria.

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Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo, who had won her game against the Czech Republic, also lost to Austria, while Deborah Quickpen and Sandra Omoruyi were defeated. Bridget Michael secured Nigeria’s only point in the 3-1 loss.

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Both Nigerian teams have six match points after six rounds, with the men recording three wins and three defeats, while the women have two wins, two draws and two losses.

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With five rounds still to play, Wednesday’s fixtures provide both teams with an opportunity to respond to their Round 6 setbacks and strengthen their positions in the standings.

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The 46th Chess Olympiad runs until September 27, with 11 rounds scheduled in the team competition.

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