Fourteen-year-old FM Goodness Ekunke of Bayelsa State has won the World Rapid Amateur Chess Championship, held in Abuja, organisers said.
Ekunke, who began playing chess in Yenagoa under FIDE Master Kigigha Bomo more than nine years ago, competed against players from several countries to claim the title. Bomo, who has coached Ekunke since childhood, described him as one of the state’s most promising young talents.
Ekunke sealed the title by holding fellow Nigerian FM Eugene Unwana to a draw in the decisive final round. Unwana took silver on 8½ points, while FM Bomo Kigigha claimed bronze, also on 8½ points, on tie-break. The event was played at a rapid time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move.
The 17-year-old Sambo Joseph emerged as one of the tournament’s standout performers. He defeated tournament leader Ekunke in round eight, having earlier beaten Kigigha, then added a round-nine win over India’s AIM Sahil Shejal. Successive round-10 and round-11 losses to Unwana and Lanre Oluwalasinu ended his title challenge and he finished fourth on 7½ points.
Unwana’s own run gathered pace late, with wins over Kigigha in round nine and Sambo in round 10 putting him within reach of the title before Ekunke closed it out with the final-round draw.
Before the win, Ekunke had built a record at domestic level. He won gold at the 2022 National Sports Festival and two silver medals at the 2024 edition.
At the National Youth Games, he took one gold and one silver in 2022, two golds in 2023, and three golds in 2025.
At the Niger Delta Sports Festival, he won two golds and a silver at the inaugural edition and three golds at the 2026 edition.
Ekunke earned a place on Nigeria’s senior national chess team earlier this year after a national selection tournament. He is set to represent Nigeria at the World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September, alongside compatriot Ebimobo-Ere Deborah and coach Bomo.
The FIDE World Amateur Blitz Chess Championship follows in Abuja.
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