By Obaseki Anthony on December 25, 2019

Nigeria’s representative at the 7th African Chess Championship in Windhoek, Namibia, Deborah Quickpen, has been ranked as the first in West Africa, and seventh in the continent.

The seven-year-old national champion, who competed in the Under-8 category, won four games, lost three, and drew one to gather a total of 5.5 points at the end of the tourney at the weekend.

The competition, organised by the Namibia Chess Federation, kicked off last week Monday at the Windhoek Country Club Hotel and Casino, featuring the Under-8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 categories. It climaxed on Friday.

Deborah kicked off the competition with a draw against South Africa’s Miya Minentle, defeated Kenya’s Hope Amana in the second, won Zimbabwe’s Chidanhire Lynne in the third, and lost to Naidoo Kajol of South Africa in her fourth game. She lost again to South Africa’s Budhram Kaylee in her fifth.

In her sixth game Deborah defeated Algeria’s Bousehla Majda, then lost to Zimbabwe’s Zahrehwa Grace, defeated Mouton Hannah of Namibia in her seventh game, before wrapping the competition with a victory over Peete Palesa of South Africa

Deborah was two points short from claiming the top price, no thanks to the three games she lost to Zimbabwe’s Zahrehwa Grace, and South Africa’s duo of Budhram Kaylee, and eventual winner, Naidoo Kajol.

Kajol emerged the overall winner in the Under-8 category with 7.5 points, followed by Budhram Kaylee and Miya Minentle, both from South Africa, with 6.5 points each, Zahrehwa Grace of Zimbabwe with 6.0 points, Peete Palesa of South Africa, also with 6.0 points, Kenya’s Fantalis Lucy finished in 6th placed with 5.5 points, ahead of Nigeria’s Deborah, with same points.

Quickpen, who competed against 20 players drawn from different African countries, is still eligible to participate in the same category, next year.

•PHOTO: Chess prodigy Deborah Quickpen (Left, facing camera) in action at the recent 7th African Chess Championship in Windhoek, Namibia

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 25, 2019

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