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Nigeria has been the most successful Chess federation in West Africa for a while, winning a sizable number of Olympiad and African medals which recently included team category medals at the 2012 Olympiad in Instanbul, Turkey. The crowning glory of these accomplishments has to be the gold medal for Odion Aikhoje at the 1998 Olympiad in Elista, Russia. One of Nigeria’s finest Chess Queens, Funmi Akinola (nee Oyegunle), has been a part of this success story, having won a plethora of laurels in her chess playing career that spans almost two decades. In this interview with Sportlineng.com, she gave an impressive expose about the present state of the classic game in Nigeria and she further highlighted the urgent need for more media coverage to promote the game across the country.
Who is Funmi Oyegunle?
Funmi Akinola actually, (laughs)… I’m married now. Well, I can humbly say that Funmi is a motivated individual, a career woman, and an aspiring model, who is quite passionate about the game of Chess. And, I’m a Nigerian who hails from Ogun state, but grew up in Lagos.
What ignited your passion for playing Chess and how long has this been?
While growing up as a kid in Lagos, we had some neighbours who had this chess board, and they were always playing the game at every leisure time. I was quite young, but, I believe that was when the admiration kicked off from. I watched them play with an interest until I joined them. I was about 11 years old at the time.
Looking at your rack of medals, one would presume it has been a fruitful journey since then. At what point did your childhood admiration become a professional career, a laurel-laden one at that?
I started playing tournament Chess some few years after I learnt from my neighbors and after I had further groomed my interest by reading chess guides/books. The first were a set of closed tournaments I played between 1999 and 2001. I remember playing with some guys at an invitational kind of setting; they were all male, and it was surprising to them that a relatively unknown Funmi beat their own Champion to a score of 9 - 0. It was all around this period that the whole career thing started taking shape. I had the rare opportunity to represent my state, Ogun state, as I was selected in the team to compete in the Chess event at the Edo 2002 sport festival. That was where I won my first sports medal as a Pro, a bronze medal, and, yes, the experience paid off.
And the big break came when?
Yeah, it was around that time I got discovered by the then Delta State coach who enrolled me as a program athlete for the state. Then came the major tournaments in their droves. Country representation in the test-run for the Abuja COJA, I have since then also participated in some couple of National Sports Festivals, the All Africa Games in Algiers and Mozambique, and two International Olympiads. It’s from all of these I’ve received grace to win some individual, and a handful of team medals for the country…. (laughs again)
Wow! That surely is an impressive medal haul you’ve got. How many are they actually?
Thank you. I think I’ve been privileged to garner up to about 13 major medals in all. I have also been the NBL National Female Champion twice.
NBL?
Yeah, the Nigerian Breweries League, that’s what the NBL stands for. The Nigerian Breweries has been the major sponsor of the Nigerian Breweries International Chess Open Championship for years I guess. Then, companies like Chevron too and some few others bankroll rated Chess tournaments across the country.
How can you describe the state of the game of Chess in Nigeria at the moment; regressive, dormant or progressive?
I will definitely say progressive. In fact, I give kudos to the present executives of the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF) led by Mr. Lekan Adeyemi. I give them 70% for their efforts to elevate the stance of Chess so far.
Oh really! Why is that?
The Adeyemi-led NCF have done quite a lot to boost the visibility, acceptance and the practice of the game of Chess in Nigeria at the moment. For example, we now have a lot of FIDE-rated tournaments in the country from time to time, and it wasn’t like that before. These Rated tournaments are the ones that have an impact of the ratings and title of any competitive or career Chess player. We have them now in the country unlike before. Also, there has been more collaborative effort ongoing between the NCF and another body, the Chess Players Association of Nigeria (CPAN) that has brought Chess to the fore. It has been impressive. A lot has been happening, a lot of activities aimed at the development of the game in Nigeria.
But, what do you think the challenge is? According to what you just said, there seems to be a lot happening as touching this classic game in the country, and I’m sure you’d agree that only a few know about these NCF and CPAN efforts that you’ve praised.
Well, I agree. I believe only a few people know about all the good happening inside the Nigeria Chess family, and I agree that more can be done to correct that. For people to know, I strongly believe it’s the effort of the media. The media should collaborate with the effort of the Chess federations to put the game in the spotlight.
Are you saying there is little or no media coverage of Chess tourneys across Nigeria?
There is, but, it is quite too little. For example, the 2015 edition of the Nigerian Breweries-sponsored National Championship to determine the year’s male and female champion(s) is scheduled for November, just two months away from now, and it hasn’t generated any noticeable traction yet, at least on social media. I believe there’s a way that should be corrected. In the past editions of the NBL National Championships, I think I know of a 10-minute session allotted to air clips from the championship on one of the TV channels around. Asides this pockets of reportage, I don’t know of any other major awareness-generating coverage that the game of Chess deserves in the country.
Chess is known to be a game that boosts intellectual capacity and ability; and you think this sport needs more media attention to gain the needed traction and acceptance in Nigeria?
Yes, I totally agree, and that why I noted earlier that the game needs a whole of coverage and promotion both in print, screen, online and social media, in order to boost the level of awareness, acceptance, and involvement, especially among teenagers and pubertal youths. There have been few other promotional efforts, but, more, much more can be done to further take this sport out there.
You started playing at a young age yourself, and the merit is quite clear. Are there any programmes at present set to encourage kids into Chess in the country?
Yes, there are few. There’s this group, Pedal Chess, which organizes Chess classes for some kids in schools. Also, a Chess Legend, Gary Kasparov, has a foundation, the Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF), that has also set out to promote the game amongst kids aged between 5 and 9 years across the world. I guess they’ve been to Nigeria twice or thrice.
Let’s talk about your family. How was the support like when you decided to play Chess as a career, especially at a young age?
I’ve always been blessed and grateful to have received the support of my Parents right from the moment I started playing. Though, as most Parents would also feel, they had their fair share of fears about how the game made me travel alone a lot of times at that young age. But, the assurance that my education wouldn’t be affected and also the fact the medals and money started coming in, made my Parents encourage and support me, even up till now. I was also blessed with a husband who himself plays sport, and thus, easily understands and supports my drive for the game I love.
So, as you were representing the country and participating in all the tourneys, you were also studying?
Yes, I studied Accounting at the Lagos State University, and graduated with honours. The passion for sports shouldn’t affect academic pursuit in any budding athlete at all. It adds its own merits along the way.
What advice will you give any individual who wants to play this game as a beginner, or better put, how does one become a Professional Chess player in Nigeria?
(Smiles) …well, there are a couple of ways to do that. Firstly, you’ve got to have true love for the game, after which one can get coached by an established player to pick the baby steps and probably master the basic techniques too. I already described my own experience where I had to learn at first from my far better neighbours. Then, one can also get books and/or self-instructive manuals/softwares to go about it.
The first steps at becoming a professional chess player involves registering with the association and getting out there to participate in Trials and competitive tournaments, which, thanks to the good work of the federation and its affliates, are now constantly organised for both aspiring and established players in the country.
You’ve spent over a decade as a professional Chess player, and you are actually approaching 2 decades, what has been the main motivating factor all along, and who are the players you’ve probably looked up to along the way?
It is just the passion. I am a Chess player, and I love it. That’s enough motivation for me to keep me playing, and always wanting to win. Either within or outside the country, I respect and learn from every Chess player that I meet. Moreover, I’ve been privileged to be part of the best 5 female Chess Players that have represented Nigeria since I started playing, and it has been a great experience in itself.
These are great female players I’ve competed with and learnt from. Worthy of separate mention is Oluwatobiloba Oloruntola (nee Olatunji), who is currently the highest rated Nigerian female player with the World Female Master (WFM) title.
When it comes to the real business of playing on the board, what type of player is Funmi? How would you describe this winning style of yours?
(Laughs…) I am an aggressive player oh. My style of play is deemed to be the aggressive type; I use “opening E4” most times, and it works perfectly for me (..laughs again). And, my desire to win keeps me learning and practicing to become even better despite my engagements to my family.
When can you describe as the best moment of your career till date?
Well, it is always good to win. The feeling is always great. So, it is quite hard to point out particular moment as the best. But, becoming the Overall Champion at the 2012 edition of the NBL National Championship was quite special, as I had my daughter together with me then.
Why are you not at the ongoing All African Games (AAG) in Congo Brazzaville? Did you not qualify to represent the country?
No, that isn’t the case. The Chess event was pulled out of the ongoing AAG by the host nation Congo, because they couldn’t field a Chess team of theirs. If that wasn’t the case, I would have attended the trials in Lagos, and I believe I’d have qualified to represent the country again as I always loved to do.
