John Oyeyemi Fawole, a former national junior champion has emerged the overall winner of the 36th edition of the Nigerian Breweries International Open Chess Championship. The seven round Swiss event pairing was held at the Mobolade Okoya-Thomas Multi-Purpose hall of Teslim Balogun from December 12 through December 15, 2013.
The new national male champion secured six out of the maximum seven points to place top in the Masters category and won the star prize of N250, 000.00 and a trophy. Bomo Kigigha, Femi Balogun and Unwana Ekpoikong tied in second position; while International Master, Bunmi Olape, led the pack of consolation prize winners in fifth position.
In the ladies category, Labake Coker tied with Toluwani Rachael on five points but came top on the tie break to be declared winner. Okemakinde Toulwani and Emmanuel Akintoye tied in third with four points each. Winners also emerged in the Under-14 Boys, Under-14 Girls, Amateur, Opens and VIP categories.
In his closing remarks, the Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Kufre Ekanem who spoke on behalf of the company, commended the organisers and players for their conduct during the championship. Kufre said the sponsorship remains a key element of the youth development initiatives of Nigerian Breweries Plc. He added that the sustenance of the sponsorship by the company in the last 36 years is in line with the company’s commitment to winning with Nigeria.
The closing ceremony was attended by dignitaries including the Liaison Officer of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Tayo Oreweme; former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Jubril Ayinla; the President of the National Chess Federation, Lekan Adeyemi, among other guests.
