CIS Update: Nigerian ChessKids go toe-to-toe with University Chess Team

A few weeks ago, we partnered with Chess in Slums to bring resources and awareness to their initiative. Today, we're checking back in with them. They had plenty of news!

With little money and poor access to education, the odds were already stacked against the Nigerian youngsters. But the kids of Chess in Slums proved that chess can be a great equalizer. The band of 6-9 year olds held the University of California Merced team to a draw in their remote chess match. 

The Chess in Slums team went up against the UC Merced Chess Team for their "Chess Beyond Borders" program. Chess Beyond Borders is an outreach program to promote the culture of acceptance, reduce class disparities, and most importantly promote chess education in impoverished communities.

This match presented an incredible opportunity for the Nigerian youngsters of Majidun Ikorodu, Lagos to showcase their talent on a global stage and connect with college players, captained by Aaron Thompson. This is a way to foster love and mutual respect between two communities.

This was the first time they had played against another team internationally. They were nervous, but played with their heads held high. 

These were the five CIS players: 

• Christian Sunday
• Steven Prosper
• Jamiu Ninilowo
• Chinonso Sunday
• John Livinus

Game by Game Recap: 

Board 1: Chinonso won against her opponent in record time after taking a Queen in less than ten moves. CIS was leading 1-0! 

Board 2: Jamiu encountered issues in his game as he blundered a piece early and managed to hold that position to endgame. He eventually lost on time due to disconnection problems. 

Board 3: Christian played a remarkable game, which ended in a draw. 

Board 4: Jamiu in a relatively inferior position became disconnected due to network issues, but it was a good game nonetheless.

Board 5: Livinus got his opponent's queen early on in a clever Nb5 trick to deflect the defender, which was all that he needed to get a fork. He finished the game with perfection and checkmated his opponent:

The kids from the CIS academy played amazingly well despite being paired against higher rated opponents from the UC-Merced chess team. It was an amazing event, and the players from the chess in slums academy gave the players from UC Merced a tour of their community.

We're rooting for the kids of CIS. They're making fantastic progress and using their ChessKid Gold Accounts to train. We can't wait to see what the next tournament holds.