28th July, 2010
Nigeria Chess Federation, NCF, recorded another milestone in the history of the sport recently with the organisation of arbiters’ course, which began last Sunday at the Media Centre of National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
According to the Secretary-General of the federation, Bidemi Ganiyu-Opolo, the course was put together for all the National, FIDE and International Arbiters of chess in the country to update their knowledge on the latest rules and technicalities governing the brain game.
Ganiyu-Opolo, who stated that the week-long course is also open to aspiring members of the public, revealed that it is being coordinated by two key members of the Technical Committee of the Federation; Lekan Adeyemi and Eugene Aikhiwu.
“This is a Chess Olympiad year and there is need for all the players going for the championship in Russiain this September to be updated on the new rules governing the sport.
“Regarding the latest rules and regulations, most of our experienced hands in arbitration are miles behind and this manifested in the game they played in some of our recent tournaments.
“They can only apply the new rules if they are updated, that’s why this seminar comes in-handy at this crucial timeâ€, she explained.
She, however, noted that the NCF will provide the logistics for the course, while the participants are responsible for their upkeep.
—Wale Joseph