2,500 students chase N20million in Ecobank National Schools’ Team Chess Championship

A crammed with two,500 formative years chess players from foremost, secondary and tertiary institutions from 24 states of the nation are dilemma to battle for the N20million on offer in the 2025 Ecobank National Colleges’ Crew Chess Championship. The event will take from June 26 to twenty-eight on the Ecobank Pan African Centre, Victoria Island in Lagos.

In conserving with the organisers, the three-day event will commence with foremost faculty pupils taking to the board on June 26, secondary faculty scholar will opt their suggested June 27, while college students from the tertiary institutions will opt their suggested June 28.

Speaking on the pre-championship press convention, Ecobank’s head of Training, Faith and Social Companies and products, Adebukola Ademuluyi acknowledged the championship, the 2d in the series, will investigate cross-take a look at an ambitious, inclusive and transformative match aimed at producing future Grandmasters, along side that participants would possibly well even be drawn from Faculty of the blind.

The Vice President, Nigeria Chess Federation, Adewale Adeyinka acknowledged rather then cash prizes, a complete of 90 medals will most likely be awarded to winners in the assorted classes. There will also certificates of participation for the complete players.

“In 2024, we notorious a milestone by organising the grandest chess championship in the nation, which attracted over 1,200 college students from 240 faculties, courtesy Ecobank. This year, it's even bigger as over 2,500 college students are anticipated from 450 from foremost, secondary and tertiary institutions from throughout the nation. They are going to be competing in groups of 5 players every, an upgrade from the four players per group that featured final year,” Adeyinka acknowledged.

He further acknowledged that the federation used to be assisting the budding chess skills to register with the World Chess Federation, FIDE to procure obvious the long shuffle vogue of the younger players. “We strongly imagine that to nurture younger skills, we must equip them with instruments for fulfillment from the onset.”

Giving the breakdown of prizes for the winners, Adeyinka acknowledged: “For the tertiary faculties, the gold medallist will score N2m, silver N1m, bronze N650,000. There are prizes for winners as much as the tenth dilemma.

“The secondary faculty winner will score N2.5m, silver N2m and bronze N1.5m. There are also prizes as much as the tenth dilemma. For the foremost faculty class, the winner will score N2m, silver N1.5m and bronze N1m.”

He congratulated Marvelvine Montessori Colleges, Dayspring College and the University of Lagos, for successful final year’s version, proper as he recommended the Managing Director/CEO of Ecobank, Mr Mobolaji Lawal for his enhance in sponsoring the hotfoot Marvelvine and Dayspring to Uzbekistan for the World Faculty Crew Chess Championships final year.

Representing co-sponsors MTN, Onyinye Okeke, Head of Marketing and marketing Companies and products acknowledged they decided to title with the championship because it aligned with the firm’s philosophy.

“This competition offers a possibility for the younger one to develop. This match is terribly expensive to us at MTN because it's about formative years empowerment which aligns with our philosophy.”