Nigerian chess champ for Las Vegas $1m prize

In from Nifemi Daniel….

International Master, Bunmi Olape, in the mist of the best players in the country, has emerged winner of the maiden Millionaire Chess Festival that was rounded up in Lagos on Monday.

For this feat Olape, a veteran of several international chess tournaments, has won an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas, USA for a chance to compete in a total of $1,000,000 in prizes, in October 2015.

The second edition of the Millionaire Chess is scheduled to come up from October 8-12, 2015 in Las Vegas, USA. It is the highest-stakes open chess tournament in history.

The victory of Olape at the Lagos tournament was assured following a major setback by inform Eugene Uwana in his final game of the event when he made a blunder against Lapite Oluwadurotimi. It was Olape that profited from this game has he secured a win against Femi Adeshina to level on seven points with Lapite.

In the playoff, which was an equivalent of penalty shootout in football, both players drew the first game, but Olape won the reversed game to earn the Las Vegas Millionaire tournament ticket.

“I am delighted to be back to form and ready to dominate the national chess scene again. It was not an easy task for me because I started badly in the opening rounds but happy to return into wining way.

“To all my opponents, I say a big thank you because without the stiff opposition, I would not have brought the best out of me,” elated Olape responded after the final game.

However, many chess pundits were pained that the new sensation on the scene, Uwana could not win the festival in spite of his brilliant outings in all recent tournaments.

The young prodigy just needed to win his last game against Lapite to win the tournament but blundered to a lost and gave his opponent the chance to go into play off against the eventual winner, Olape.

In all 170 players participated in different category of play in the 4-day tournament

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