Nigeria’s Chess Family Welcomes Africa Champion, Quickpen, from Accra

Femi Solaja

The reality of Deborah Quickpen’s achievement at the just concluded African Youth Chess Championship in Accra, Ghana, has started manifesting in her young career as chess players and top administrators were on hand to receive her in Yenagoa, the capital city in Bayelsa State.

The entire country’s chess community celebrated the young prodigy for the performance she displayed at the international event where she won eight points and topped her age category and above all, defeated all pretenders in the pool.

But when Quickpen returned with her coach, Bomo Kigigha alongside two others from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos to the Bayelsa State International Airport, a large crowd of chess players were on hand to receive the new African queen of chess.

The nine-year-old Bayelsa-born chess star who amassed 8.0 points, defeated Tunisia’s Hasnaoui Abrar in her 9th and final game, to be crowned champion ahead of 19 others in the competition that featured players from other African nations.

The jubilant crowd received the gold medallist from the Bayelsa International Airport, near Amassoma to the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, accompanied by officials of the State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Bayelsa State Sports Council amidst solidarity songs and dancing.

Addressing the contingent, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Daniel Igali, congratulated Deborah Quickpen and her team for making the state proud. He assured Quickpen of the state’s unrelenting commitment to see her go beyond this level even as she prepares to represent Nigeria next year.

He asserted that the state government would do everything possible for Deborah Quickpen to take part in the World Youth cadet championship in Batumi, Georgia next year having conquered Africa.

Earlier, Director of Sports Bayelsa State Sports Council, Sir Braveman Wodi, commended the trio of Shine Ekperi, Deborah Quickpen and Treasure Ebiakpo for the show of dexterity, explaining that the victory had further placed Bayelsa State as a sporting state.

Sir Wodi reminisced on how he encouraged Bomo Kigigha to become a champion in chess, saying that Deborah’s success story was incomplete without the continuous support from her parents.

Also, convener of Team Deborah Quickpen, Mr Ada Gwegwe thanked the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Bayelsa State Sports Council for giving little Quickpen the enabling environment to flourish ,calling on the private sector to support her.

In an interview, Coach Bomo Kigigha said he sold his properties alongside his wedding ring to ensure that the lads travelled to Ghana to take part in the showpiece, pointing out that they went to the competition by road due to the non-availability of funds.

He explained that three players took part in the annual Africa Youth championship in U-10, U-13 and U-14 but Deborah Quickpen stood out in the under ten category where she outperformed her Tunisian counterpart to emerge champion.

He thanked God for seeing them through the tournament in Ghana, attributing Deborah’s success to divine intervention and commitment to hard work.