Oluwafemi Balogun
Nigeria’s chess star, Master Oluwafemi Balogun, who won the recent West African tourney in Liberia, has been drawn to play against current world champion, Magnus Carlsen at forthcoming Chess World Cup slated to hold in Georgia next month.
According to the Nigeria Chess Federation, this will be the first time an African will get the opportunity to play a reigning champion at the world tourney.
The body noted that the chess World Cup is a knockout tournament of two classical games, which, according to the terminology of chess, if the game is drawn, it goes to two rapid games and if drawn again moves to two blitz games.
When the winner does not emerge an Armageddon will be played to determine, who goes to the next round.
Ahead of the World Cup, some European players say it is unfortunate that the vibrant young Nigerian is seeded against the world’s best players, but Balogun has believes playing against Magnus is a huge milestone in his career.
Being the first African to face a current world champion, Balogun knows that beating his opponent will move him to round two of the World Cup.
“I am training hard for the World Cup. It is a great privilege for me to win the West Africa Chess championship and get the automatic ticket for the Georgia World Cup. My mission is to make Nigeria and Africa proud in Georgia. I am not under any pressure ahead of the World Cup,” he said.
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