The 2025 Ecobank National Schools’ Team Chess Championship saw participation of over 1000 students from various schools across the country. It was a display of grit, resilience and intelligence as students competed across six rounds for a slice of the 20 million Naira pool prize. Even more impressive was the participation by Bethesda School for the Blind which made its debut at this tournament in the secondary school category.

FIDE Arbiter and Chief Arbiter at this tournament, Ademola Oyebanji reflected on what this occasion means for chess in Nigeria, and how this inspires people to ‘Go Make A Difference’. FIDE is Fédération Internationale des Échecs, which is French for the International Chess Federation. Oyebanji has an impressive track record with over 20 years of experience as a FIDE arbiter, having officiated five Chess Olympiads across different continents.

As the morning leg of the event kicked off, the students of Bethesda were seen in head-to-head mental combat with students of other schools, an assistant and an additional braille chess board by their side. Oyebanji explained the mechanics behind this.

“People saw on display today a scenario that normally plays out at the Olympiad. They will have an assistant because they play with a special kind of board. The assistant tells them the opponent’s move, then makes that move on a regular board so the opponent can see too. For fair play, we also gave extra minutes to the visually impaired because it takes time to communicate both ways.”

On the importance of inclusion, Oyebanji said, “You will observe that at the Olympics, chess is not played, but we have our own chess Olympiad. That’s our equivalent of the FIFA World Cup in football. At the FIDE World Chess Championships, there is a place set aside for those who are physically challenged. They also have their own dedicated tournament.

The idea of inclusivity is very simple. At the Olympics, there is one for the physically disabled and one for everyone else. In tennis, we have them. In almost every sphere of sports, you have physically challenged people taking part because they are also part of society.”

On the impact of this moment, Oyebanji stated, “This is something that is worthy of emulation by any tournament organizer across the country. Ecobank has set the pace. With the inclusion of MTN as partners in this particular event, I’m sure chess will go places in the next couple of years. Chess has become a very popular game. We know what MTN has been doing. We know what the interaction is between Tunde Onakoya and the Go M.A.D program.”

The MTN Go M.A.D (Make A Difference) campaign went live in January of this year with chess grandmaster and Guinness World Record holder, Tunde Onakoya, as the face of the campaign. Taking cue from Onakoya’s background and his grassroots chess initiative, Chess in Slums, the MTN Go M.A.D campaign has amplified Onakoya’s tactic, slum to strategy, empowering people to believe and live the narrative that everyone can Go Make A Difference, irrespective of their background.

“Everybody now knows about chess. We don’t have to explain chess to anybody. Our objective in the Nigeria Chess Federation is to ensure that we have chess in every home. MTN has been doing a lot by propagating it on posters and billboards across the country. Thank God for the things that have happened at the Ecobank and MTN level. People don’t ask about chess anymore. They now associate it with Tunde. ”

On making a difference using chess, Oyebanji said, “Chess is not just about people playing for leisure. They make quite a lot of money from it by representing themselves at tournaments, representing countries or teams. Some schools that have won in this competition now have enough to buy chess equipment that will allow them to train even more students. With sponsors, this is even more possible. They are empowering these schools to contribute more to chess development.”

A chess lover, Oyebanji stated the benefits of chess as personal development, especially in young people. “The benefits are tremendous. There’s a link between playing chess and intelligence quotients. Most people who play chess can never be dull students. As they grow intellectually, they can also grow morally because of the decisions we make on the board. When you want to make your move on the chess board, you consider the probable response from your opponent.”

This year’s championship was a reminder that true progress means creating space for everyone, including persons with disabilities, to compete, grow and be seen. When inclusion is intentional, it sparks possibility. With more people embracing the philosophy behind Go Make A Difference, chess can continue to grow as a tool for learning, confidence and connection.