Kayode Olawuni, Ife
Hon. Awope made this known during a briefing with the Ife City Blog team at the Club auditorium, Parakin, Ile-Ife on Tuesday.
According to the RRCC Boss and facilitator of the famous annual Olojo Festival Rapid Chess Tournament, The Ibadan Chess League which happens to be the first of its kind in the history of Chess in Nigeria has so far helped in rekindling people's interest in the game.
The Iconic Chess master and trainer expressed his particular excitement for leading the only participating team from Osun to the league of which they are currently topping.
"The Ibadan Chess League is about chess clubs and this is the first of its kind in Nigeria. Most of the clubs are from Ibadan and Raia Rooks happened to be the only Chess Club from Osun State participating with them and I can tell you frankly that we are leading the League right now as it is. We have a total of 12 clubs participating in the league.
"What i really like about the League is the fact that most people are now getting into it. Other clubs are demanding to participate in it. But unfortunately, this is the first of its kind and we have already started, they have to wait till around June ending when we finish it", he said.
He however solicited for the support of relevant stakeholders and well-meaning individuals particularly of Ife decent to support the Home Town team, RRCC in scaling the challenges being undergone by the team.
"We need your support. Anytime we travel to Ibadan, it costs a lot. We have to get about six players to the city. Sometimes we end up playing Saturday and Sunday and the kids have to stay over till the following day
Hon. Awope also added that plans are ongoing for the Osun version of the league.
"We are bringing this League to Osun. Osun is going to have Osun Chess League bringing together different towns or cities in Osun with Chess Clubs. Already, there is a lot of awareness about Chess here in Ife and everybody knows what RRCC means. So that is the way forward", he concluded.
The Chess League which began in late 2019 but was thwarted in early February, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic resumed on February 20, 2021 with Rounds 8, 9 and 10 games already completed.
The next rounds of the League holding at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan the Oyo State Capital are slated for Saturday March 6, 2021.
Chess is a recreational and competitive board game played between two players. It is sometimes called Western or international chess to distinguish it from related games such as xiangqi. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older games of Indian and Persian origin. Today, chess is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. www.fentonchessclub.co.uk
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