UI Chess Club Hosts Prince Adewole Adeyinka Simul, Issues Certificates to Graduating Executives
On Wednesday, 19th of March, 2025, the University of Ibadan Chess Club hosted the second edition of the Prince Adewole Adeyinka simultaneous exhibition, sequel to the first edition three years ago, as well as a presentation of awards and certificates to graduating executives, past captains, and friends and sponsors of UI Chess at BNI Youth Centre, U&I Building, University of Ibadan.
In attendance were Prince Adewole Adeyinka, Vice-President of the Nigerian Chess Federation and former President of the Chess Players Association of Nigeria, Mr Olalekan Adeyemi, Vice President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), former President of the Nigerian Chess Federation, and most notably, a former coach of the University of Ibadan Chess Team, an esteemed University of Ibadan graduate, International Master Odion Aikhoje, Africa’s first Olympiad Gold medallist, multiple-time Nigerian Champion and perhaps the most decorated Nigerian chess player of all time, Mr Iredele Ogunbayo, Chairman of the Oyo State Chess Association, Mr Olabode Sofoluwe, Vice-Chairman of the Oyo State Chess Association, Dr Oluwaseun Ariyo, UI Chess Coach and Coach Olujimi Adebanwo of the University of Ibadan Sports Council.
The simultaneous exhibition featured Prince Adewole Adeyinka facing 20 members of the UI Chess Club, a repeat of the conditions in the March 4th, 2022 edition where he won thirteen games, drew two and lost five. This same scoreline would be replicated on this occasion with wins claimed by two UIMSAites: Okojie Simeon, UCH Captain and UCH Champion, and Paul Michael, ABH Chess Coordinator, as well as Ojo Blessing, Dental Student and FASU Women’s Blitz Champion, Alegbeleye Opeyemi and Eliphus Godfrey. Adegbola Oluwatomisin, the graduating UI Chess Vice-Captain 2 and Olawale Hamid also forced the Nigerian Chess stalwart to settle for draws during the exhibition. The winners were bestowed a cash prize of N10,000 while those who drew against the master won N5,000.
Sequel to the simultaneous exhibition was the voucher-odds challenge, through which members of the audience present could challenge IM Odion Aikhoje and Prince Adewole Adeyinka to blitz games with time odds of two to four minutes and two to three minutes respectively in order to win cash prizes. Of thirteen challengers in total, only Soliu Hassan of Blazing Kings Games Club and Israel Oladunjoye of the Department of Statistics would prove victorious against Prince Adewole Adeyinka, taking home cash prizes of N5,000 and N3,000 respectively.
Graduating club executives present were handed Certificates of Merit in recognition of their services towards UI Chess. These included Oluwatomisin Adegbola, UI Chess Vice-Captain 2 and Sociology graduate, Adetunji Moraanugba, Financial Secretary and Law graduate, Oladunjoye Israel, Sultan Bello Hall Chess Representative and Statistics Graduate, Ogunsemore Busayo, Obafemi Awolowo Hall Chess Representative and Anthropology graduate, Akinyemi David, UI NUGA ‘22 team member and Physiology graduate, Olawale Ahmed, Tournament Coordinatoor 1 and Agricultural Extension graduate, and Fehintola Rafiq who established the Faculty of Education Chess Club. Also awarded were Onuoha Chibuike, captain of the University of Ibadan Chess Club from 2017-2019, and Nigeria’s number 27, the 2100-rated Oyepitan Joshua, a longtime friend of the University of Ibadan Chess Club, who was known to spar with many of her top players in Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall while he worked at the University of Ibadan. Dignitaries present, Prince Adewole Adeyinka, Mr Olalekan Adeyemi, IM Odion Aikhoje, Mr Iredele Ogunbayo and Mr Olabode Sofoluwe were in addition, presented honourary awards in recognition of their support for the University of Ibadan chess community and Nigerian chess at large.
Addressing those present, IM Odion Aikhoje stressed the importance of continuity in chess development with the mantle of UI Chess Coach passing from Mr Olalekan Adeyemi to Dr Oluwaseun Ariyo, one of his then students, and perhaps to one of those in the audience in the near future. Prince Adewole Adeyinka and Mr Iredele Ogunbayo were also keen to emphasise that Mr Olalekan Adeyemi encouraged them to take on and indeed preceded them in their respective positions in the Nigerian Chess Federation and the Oyo State Chess Association, further reinforcing the importance of continued progress.
Okojie Osakwe Simeon
