‎By Hosea Parah

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‎It was a frustrating sixth round outing at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for Nigeria, with both the men’s and women’s teams suffering defeats.

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‎The Nigerian men were beaten 4–0 by Vietnam, while the women lost 3–1 to Austria as both teams saw their progress checked midway through the global team championship.

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‎The men entered Round 6 with renewed confidence after securing three victories in their opening five matches, including an impressive 3½–½ win over Malawi in the previous round.

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‎However, they found Vietnam a significantly tougher opponent and were unable to register a point across the four boards.

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‎The result leaves Nigeria with six match points from six rounds, having recorded three wins and three defeats. The setback also ended their positive momentum as the tournament entered its second half.

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‎The women were also unable to overcome their opponents, going down 3–1 to Austria.

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‎Nigeria’s women now have six match points from six rounds, with two victories, two draws and two defeats.

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‎Despite the team’s setback, Chiamaka Michelle Nwankwo has emerged as one of Nigeria’s notable individual performers in Samarkand, showing resilience and determination in her games.

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‎Both teams will now have the opportunity to regroup during the scheduled rest day before returning to action for the remaining five rounds.

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‎With the tournament entering its crucial stages, Nigeria will be seeking stronger performances in the remaining matches as both teams aim to recover from their Round 6 defeats and finish the Olympiad on a positive note.Nigeria sports news

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‎The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad has brought together teams from around the world in Samarkand, providing Nigeria’s leading players with another major test on the international stage.