I used to be a chess guru in the good old days. I have played a good game for at least 5 years now.
In the past, while walking or driving, every movement was something on the chess board (thank God its no longer that way ); I used to play and read chess for hours and hours .

I think having fun should be the main aim of any sport or game,chess can be challenging at times but i think u can still be a strong player without having to always think and dream about chess.i used to be an extremist too but no more,i enjoy playing and devote less time to reading chess books.I think competitions are what we need to improve at this stage.

Hey guys, you are invited to join me on chess tutorials and meet the Nigerian finest chess players on http://hypernigeria.com/index.php?topic=54.0 its the bomb!!

i was on the site and couldnt make any headway.

Pick a chess practicing PC software at http://www.discountNG.com

Really cheap! Over 45,000 products to choose from, and all listed in

Naira

Really chess is the best game ever invented by man for our mental exercise and discipline and im very proud to be a chess player

Some pics from the just concluded port harcourt chess competition.The first pic shows the current national champion Bomo kihigha slugging it out with peretimi, a strong player.

more pics from the fourth round.bomo and his brother inimo on board 1 in the 2nd pic.They both tied for 1st place.the competition had 6 rounds

strong players(in their own right) fighting the chess battle

Nice one Behind BOBO, I was trying to see if i could see Oteri, Bomo or Small-B but no hope.


I'm sure Ehimare was there


There's a Chess Tourney in Abuja on 17th April Sat by 10am @ Eden Park Utako. Abuja

For more info you can check out the chess Club @ Brass Close, Plateau Street Area 2 Abuja

call Dafe Karpov : 08069551510

thanks.bomo was there.the first pic shows him on board one.u can also see him playing with his brother inimo if u follow the text i wrote while posting the pics.there were about four other players there who were called for the recently concluded chess olympiad trials.

Ok that's true, I see him. I dint check thru b4.

Meanwhile do u know this chessplayer? Cole aka Makaveli

He's a good player tho. Saw him in abuja here and dammmnnn he's a smokinnng chess player

i might know him if i see him, is he based in lagos or abuja?

Who are those organising the abuja chess competition?

I think he's a PH guy. The chess tourney in abuja is organized by Dafe-- Oteri's brother for Abuja chess club.

you wont believe there's a prize for best worst loser :d

if he s a ph guy then i should know him cos i m presently based in ph and go to play chess at obudu chess club which is about the only active chess club in ph.the name 'makaveli' sounds familiar though.
what s the essence of the prize for the worst loser,is it to encourage people play bad chess?

The essence of worst looser prize is for future Yabbis Purposes

You can be sure that whoever wins that prize will face mega Yabs!

i'm sure u know what I'm saying :d

The tournament ended yesterday with falewale winning 5.5 /6 in swiss method of pairing, pictures to be posted l8a

expecting the pics

Anybody know chess clubs/gatherings in Lagos mainland or around Surulere where guys can go to play and improve their game there's now a bunch of chess enthusiasts in my 'hood, ever since some guys got a board and started playing on the street; awareness is up and lots of folks are really interested.

Here are the pictures; I actually lost some of them though.


Lawrence receiving his prize money , Sammy and Dashe [Left to right]




Cole(aka Makavelli) Slugging it out with Femi



Patrick receiving his prize money



[middle]Falewale (winner of the Tournament) receiving his prize while Dafe and Sammy congratulates him


More pics to come

Dafe [Karpov] receiving his prize money




Afam slugging it out


Pato on board

@ Elgaxton,nice pics.it seems u did nt take part in the tournament.

@

RuuDie:

Anybody know chess clubs/gatherings in Lagos mainland or around Surulere where guys can go to play and improve their game there's now a bunch of chess enthusiasts in my 'hood, ever since some guys got a board and started playing on the street; awareness is up and lots of folks are really interested.

i know some clubs around surulere but i cant remember their address as i m currently based in ph.there s one off adeniran ogunsanya close to bode thomas junction. Its the people that makes the club,so i think u guys just need to buy some more boards and maybe clocks as playing close to your house will be more convenient.improving your game is best done by practise.i ll see if i can get a list of chess clubs in lagos and post them but bear in mind that some of them might be inactive though.

I took part but lost a lot of games, 4 games out of 6 was lost carelessly.

I dint appear in the pictures cos I took the pictures

Can anyone here direct me to any chess club in or around Enugu

Hi Uchenageme,

I dont know the exact address now (somewhere in Independence Layout)

but you can call Ovie on: 07060868017.

Hello house. I luv ds thread,plz cn sm1 tell me hw I cn be better in chess. Am nt 2 good at it. Help!

As interestin as this thread is, the last time someone made a remark is 3rd may. Where r u guys?

I ve posted 3 replies since the 3rd of may but they ve all been deleted due to the problems nairaland had with their server.I find it stressful taking time to post replies now as i think i might be wasting my time but i ll try.

I play at a level of 1800+(based on different chess sites where i play)  but still looking to improve my game
You could be a strong chessplayer only after deep, serious and unhurry chess books studying. Is it possible to become a good artist or writer, without skipping through the soul a wonderful creativity of the predecessors? Chess is not an exception,  Its only when u are good at the interaction of the pieces,tactics and strategy that u can aspire to be a master player.

In my previous post which was deleted(due to nairaland server problems) i took time to explain the openings,middlegame and endgame but in this case, i ll just  recommend this book for u 'chess fundamentals' u can get it here http://chesszone.org/lib/lib.html  the book is by jose capablanca,one of the best players in chess history.
Dont make the mistake of downloading all the books u see on the net as not all of them are relevant.Its better to study one good book deeply than to have many books at hand which will only end up confusing u.Play with the computer  to strengthen your tactics but also play with stronger players to give u a balance.u can finish this book in 2 months then go on to a more advanced level but update me on your progress so i can recommend some books for u.

World chess champions

I ll only talk about  recognized World Chess Champions. However, it's worth noting that there were several unofficial champions previous to 1886, such as Paul Morphy.
Born: June 22, 1837, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Died: July 10, 1884, at age 47.

Paul Morphy is widely considered the greatest chess player of his era, and is often referred to as an unofficial World Champion.

Morphy learned to play chess at a young age by observing games played by his family. By age 9, Morphy had established himself as one of the strongest players in New Orleans and was recognized as a chess prodigy.
He went ahead to win many competitions and deafeat known chess masters.Morphy was far ahead of his time, a forerunner of modern chess masters. His understanding of positional concepts seemingly came naturally, as they were not widely accepted until many years after he had left competitive chess.

Many of Morphy's best known victories came in open games, and ended with spectacular sacrifices. His domination in open, tactical games combined with his deeper positional knowledge set him far apart from his contemporaries. He rarely blundered, despite playing much faster than his opponents.

Morphy was also known for his resourcefulness; his rivals found him difficult to defeat even on the rare occasions when they had a superior position. This helped Morphy win games even in the closed positions where his play was weakest.
After 1859, Morphy rarely played chess. At the time, chess wasn't seen as a professional pursuit, and he wished to start his law career back in New Orleans.
Later in life, Morphy withdrew from the public, spending time with only his family and close friends. On July 10, 1884, Morphy was found dead in his bathtub, due to congestion of the brain.



First official world champion-Wilhelm Steinitz

Born: May 17, 1836 in Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic)

Died: August 12, 1900 in New York City, USA
Playing Style and Legacy:

Steinitz is seen as the founder of the positional chess school. His play was a sharp change from the romantic, attacking chess popular throughout most of the 19th century. In fact, Steinitz too played this style of chess early in his career, but came to believe (correctly) that subtle, safe, positional play was necessary for truly mastering chess. At first, other top players found his theories strange, but proof of their validity came through Steinitz's match victories.

At times, Steinitz's revolutionary style was also his greatest weakness. He often felt the need to dogmatically defend his approach, even playing inferior moves and positions to prove his theories were correct through experimentation.

Emanuel Lasker-2nd world chess champion

Born: December 24, 1868 in Berlinchen, Prussia (now Poland)

Died: January 11, 1941 in New York City

In his time, Lasker was seen as a "psychological" player, who played inferior moves to throw his opponents off. However, this assessment is probably incorrect; Lasker was simply pragmatic, and would play moves that violated general principles if he felt they were appropriate for the given position.

Lasker held the World Chess Championship for longer than any other player in history(1894-1921). His long stretch of dominant play finds him near the top of most lists of the all-time greatest chess players.
World Championship Matches:

1894: Defeated Wilhelm Steinitz 12-7 (+10 -5 =4) to become the second Classical World Chess Champion

1896-1897: Defeated Wilhelm Steinitz 12.5-4.5 (+10 -2 =5) to retain World Chess Championship

1907: Defeated Frank Marshall 11.5-3.5 (+8 =7) to retain World Chess Championship

1908: Defeated Siegbert Tarrasch 10.5-5.5 (+8 -3 =5) to retain World Chess Championship

1910: Drew Carl Schlechter 5-5 (+1 -1 = to retain World Chess Championship

1910: Defeated David Janowski 9.5-1.5 (+8 =3) to retain World Chess Championship

1921: Lost to José Raúl Capablanca 9-5 (-4 =10); Capablanca becomes World Chess Champion

José Raúl Capablanca - third world chess champion

Born: November 19, 1888 in Havana, Cuba

Died: March 8, 1942 in New York City, United States


Capablanca can be found near the top of most lists of the greatest chess players of all time. His legendary undefeated streak – spanning 63 games from 1916 to 1924 – made him seem invincible, at least for a time. He was especially renowned for his endgame play, as well as for his ability to quickly and accurately judge a position.

Capablanca made very few blunders, even when compared to other top players. His positional style was clear and direct; after gaining an advantage, he would attempt to avoid complications and simplify to a winning position.
World Championship Matches:
1921: Defeated Emanuel Lasker 11-7 (+4 =14) to become World Chess Champion

1927: Lost to Alexander Alekhine 18.5-15.5 (+3 -6 =25); Alekhine becomes World Chess Champion

Alexander Alekhine-Fourth world chess champion


Born: October 31, 1892 in Moscow, Russia

Died: March 24, 1946 in Estoril, Portugal

Playing Style and Legacy:

Alexhine was one of history's great attacking players, and is known for his ability to play creative and deep combinations. This allowed him to find complications in positions that appeared quiet to most players. Some of his famous combinations are so deep that even modern players and computers have not conclusively shown whether they are completely sound.

Alekhine's legacy includes developing Alekhine's Defense (1. e4 Nf6), as well as several variations in other openings.
World Championship Matches:
1927: Defeated José Raúl Capablanca 18.5-15.5 (+6 -3 =25) to become World Chess Champion

1929: Defeated Efim Bogoljubow 15.5-9.5 (+11 -5 =9) to retain World Chess Championship

1934: Defeated Efim Bogoljubow 15.5-10.5 (+8 -3 =15) to retain World Chess Championship

1935: Lost to Max Euwe 15.5-14.5 (+8 -9 =13); Euwe becomes World Chess Champion

1937: Defeated Max Euwe 15.5-9.5 (+10 -4 =11) to regain World Chess Championship

Retained World Chess Championship until death in 1946.

The last pic shows him playing a simultaneous exhibitions with various players.