I've Been Away Playing Chess in the Colorful Akwa-Ibom Stadium!

Hello everyone, Hi Chess Friends! Hello Hive!

I've Been Away Playing Chess.

The National South-South Chess tournament was played in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Just like the southwest event, It was an open 9 rounds Classical event. It was played in the Akwa Ibom National Stadium.

The stadium is very colorful and has very nice conducive halls.

The Open Chess Event...

The Event had a guest! A Grandmaster from Egypt was invited to spice up the tournament. He was the highest-rated player. I was ranked number 40 at the start of the tournament.

It was a very interesting event with a lot of upset. It goes to show that Nigeria is filled with strong chess players. The GM couldn't win the tournament!

A loss in the 3rd round to 20-year-old Emmanuel Idara and a draw against a strong veteran was enough to deny him the first place. (details coming up later)

My Tournament...

Thanks to @stayoutoftherz, I was able to make the tournament, I missed 3 rounds (2 byes & A walkover) as my trip got delayed.

I started in round 4 with 1/3, I ended the tournament on 6/9, technically with only one loss.

I won an open Prize as I tied for second in that category.

I would share some of my games in another post. Most importantly, I got 30 points added to my Fide rating!

In Conclusion...

I will make another post as I'm yet to access my playing pictures :)
Classical chess feels different. I enjoyed playing! I'm still in my hotel room right now.

@tobetada, I took some cloud shots!

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Thanks For Reading!