Lagos City, Birrel High School shine at PWC Chess4Change grand slam

Rahmon Idowu of Lagos City College, Yaba and Birrel Avenue Senior High School, Sabo on Thursday emerged winners in the individual and team categories in the third edition of the Chess For Change Grand Slam held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

In the individual event, Rahmon scored six points to win the grand slam title, while Moyinoluwa Lawal of Government Senior College, Eric Moore came second with five points, as Egbe Benedict of Ireti Senior Grammar School, Ikoyi finished in third position also with points.

With 21 and a half points, Birrel Avenue School was able to triumph over Government Senior College Eric Moore, and Lagos City College, Yaba which placed second with 17 points and third with 16 and a half points respectively in the team’s category of the competition.

Speaking at the event, a Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jide Adeola, said the championship was part of building trust in the society hence the organisation of the Chess championship among the youth.

“Chess is a game of the mind and by students involvement in the game, it will enhance their abilities to be social inclined, think critically and also solving important problems.

“And we feel that over time we will continue to build a young people, who can participate in solving Nigerians problems,” he said.

The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr. Kweku Tandoh, stated that the game is a sport that needed to start off an early age.

“For us in Lagos State, it’s a game that we have always be excelling. At the National Youth Games in Ilorin, Kwara I think Lagos State got six or eight gold medals. We are the dominant state in Chess at the youth level.

“And very soon we are going to be taking it to the very next level, up to the senior level. That is why we have a company like PWC sponsoring this competition. Very soon, we are going to be looking at quite a number of other competitions, as well as with the private sector. I think we have a good legacy in Chess and we are going to build on that and improve upon it,” he stated.