A member of Nigeria’s contingent to this year’s Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Michelle Nwankwo has promised that she and her colleagues will try all they can to give their best performances.
Sports247 reports that Nwankwo equally expressed confidence in their abilities to excel during the competition that began on Tuesday, as she revealed they are in a stable frame of mind, staying focused and quickly adjusting to the new environment.
Nwankwo added that they are eagerly looking forward to the commencement of their games on Wednesday at the highly rated global competition, which is tagged the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad.
Other players in Nigeria’s team are the male quintet of Bomo Kigigha, Bartholomew Okhipo, Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, Odion Aikhoje and Ekunke Goodness, while the females are Deborah Quickpen, Sandra Omoruyi, Bridget Michael and Joy Iyefu.
Nwankwo, who adds youthful zeal to Nigeria’s quest, along with 15-year-old Ekunke, further disclosed that representing Nigeria at the Chess Olympiad is an exciting experience for her, even as she also acknowledged the need to stay calm and concentrate fully once play begins.
“I’ve been playing chess for about five or six years. I feel really excited. It’s amazing to be able to represent your country at the Olympiad. But you also have to stay strong and focused on the games so that you can perform well.
“You have to balance the excitement with your focus, because you don’t want to get too carried away and end up making mistakes in your games. So, I’m excited, but I also want to remain focused.
“Chess lovers across the country and everyone cheering for Team Nigeria should expect us to do well. We’ll try our best and, hopefully, we’ll come back with something good,” Nwankwo concluded.
