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Ivie Urieto Twitter.com/chesswitivie

Youth Ambassador Chalcedony Prime School in Nigeria born September 2014 in Abuja


2022-11-10 Thu 14:39 GMT/UTC/Zulu

RIDE WITH ME AS I TAKE YOU THROUGH MY CHESS JOURNEY - IVIE KRISTEN URIETO

The inspiring tales of a courageous African chess player!

A question Have you ever made a special request to the cosmos and been surprised by an even more amazing response?

I can now definitively accept this! "Something remarkable" has arrived in the form of an 8-year-old from Nigeria fascinated with chess.

MY CHESS JOURNEY


My name is Ivie, and I like to play chess. We live in the Kubwa satellite community of Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory. I was born in September 2014. Edo State is my home state. We call Abuja home.

Normal expectations for me as a girl include helping out around the house, imitating my mother, and - possibly because of my young age - watching more cartoons. As I was growing up, I occasionally saw my father and his friends moving something that resembled a horse on a board. It made me curious, and I wanted to know more about the game. My dad wasted no time introducing me to the game.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHESS GAME


All I could clearly recall was my father scaring me with the King, a chess piece that he said watched everything I did while he was gone at work. He will then proceed to put on our traditional Edo clothing, one step at a time, while attempting to explain the movements of the king to me. It was indeed fascinating and intriguing to see all he did with the chess pieces.

When I was just four years old, my father began instructing me in chess. He gave me a tour of the board and labeled each piece for me. He made sure we didn't go on to a new piece before learning a particular one by varying the movements of each one. Perhaps because I was a child, learning wasn't difficult because it was just a regular educational situation.

He gave me the definition of chess as a two-player board game requiring strategic thinking. Each piece is moved in line with predetermined rules, and the game is played on a board with checks. The goal is to attack the opposing team's king in such a way that it cannot flee, ending in a checkmate.

Chess is a great game for kids to learn valuable lessons while having fun. The game brings people together and enables them to enjoy each other's company while playing an entertaining game!

My father only learned to play chess to handle some academic issues. He is aware that playing chess can aid a child's development in the following ways:

CHESS ACADEMY

In order to ensure that the gift he had started to nurture was materializing as he had planned, my father's next thought was to look for a school for me. He had no doubts about my ability to play chess well. In pursuit of an appropriate chess coach for me, he searched the internet and emailed potential candidates

ROYAL CHESS ACADEMY

It happened in August of the year 2021, specifically during the summer break. He eventually discovered an academy that plans to start a summer chess club to keep the students busy over the extended break. He got in touch right away, paid the necessary costs, and it was decided that the program would only run on Saturdays. That wouldn't provide a challenge! On those days, my dad is willing to take me even if it is 32 kilometers away.

FIRST DAY AT THE ACADEMY


My first port of call when looking for a chess school to join was the Royal Chess Academy. It seemed clear that I would begin in the beginner's class. My father dropped me off and ensured I was established before he left. In addition to Mr. Johnson, our coordinator, we had two chess coaches. I felt anxious when I saw other children who, I assumed, had an advantage over me in the chess game.

I learned about chess fundamentals. Mr. Johnson characterized those guidelines as the "twelve golden laws," according to which you must first develop your e4 pawn before moving on to castling. It is considered that you are completely prepared for the game once your rooks are connected. I had just learned about the twelve golden rules. This lets me realize the advantages of arriving at a chess academy.

I remain in the academy till the end of September 2021, and based on Mr. Johnson's recommendation, it is clear that I will excel at the game of chess.

After a month, when the academy ended. I started to enjoy playing chess more and more. We must figure out a means to carry on the training. The kind of coaching my father provides is obviously not what I need; in order to get better, I definitely need a chess master.

THE CEO AFRICACHESSMEDIA.com


My father made the decision to hire a chess expert for me and returned to the internet to do it. He then discovered the AfricaChessMedia.com .

Babatunde Ogunsiku, the company's CEO, responded to his Facebook message by giving him his contact information. He was interested in helping after hearing my dad's story and demanded cash first.

After a week, my dad spoke with him once more and laid out his case. His pricing was more reasonable than other bids I got when doing my research for a coach. He was willing to assist me and was obviously a master at playing chess. Because the workplace is in Lagos, the training will be delivered online.

He started the training, and given that my father has a job, it is only fitting that the majority of it takes place at night. Uncle Babatunde, as I will refer to him, provided me with a detailed breakdown of all the information I required. Uncle Babatunde continued to teach me because of how good I was at chess.

MY FIRST TOURNAMENT


After I recently started getting some lesions from my coach, my first tournament was approaching. My father came up with the notion to test my limits in an open competition. The competition consisted of tag chess and scrabble, but I will undoubtedly play chess. The Winning Child Initiative was in charge of planning it.

The competition was paid for by my father, and the organizers were excited to see me because of my young age. I went on the day of the competition, and thanks to the little lessons I had learned from uncle Babatunde, I did well and came in second.

Since I knew I had only recently begun training, I never saw the win coming, so reaching this point and finishing in second place was something my father and I both treasured.

MY SECOND TOURNAMENT


At Babatunde's request, I would be put to the test in a major competition, mostly for the experience. He told my dad not to expect an amazing outcome from me just yet because I am still in the building stage. I participated in the tournament he recommended.

The chess and scrabble team 264 Recreation organized the event I signed up for. After I registered, the organizers advised me to go visit the club ahead of time so I could get a feel for the place and play a few games with other chess players.

The founder offered to pay for my dad's gas since he will be traveling far to get to the venue. Due to our shared passion for chess, my father and I took a trip of about 60.8 KM to get there.

My father and I were warmly welcomed by the founder of 264 Recreation. I was informed that I was the tournament's youngest participant. One should start to wonder how I will compete with the athletes who will be present for the event. I was granted access to the club's customs and granted membership. My official chess club to register with is now 264 Recreation.

ON THE DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT


Participants came from all over Nigeria to compete. There was no age division in this competition, so I was the youngest participant. Part of it involves competing against the opponent you were matched with. Unfortunately, I had never employed the chess timer. I frequently lost games due to time constraints, and my opponents were aware that there was a new player on the chess scene who, with the appropriate support, might succeed. Everyone admired how well I could focus. Being the youngest participant in the tournament earned me a prize.


CONSULTATION WITH BABATUNDE OGUNSIKU


Babatunde is the media director for the Nigerian Chess Federation (NCF). The body is preparing to choose new executives to manage its operations in Abuja. He graciously let my dad know that he would be coming to Abuja, the state in which we live, and that this would be a fantastic opportunity for him to meet with us.

On a Saturday, my father took a car to the motel where he was staying. We were excited to finally meet him and were thrilled to see him since we greatly value what he contributed to my chess adventure. The arrival of Uncle Babatunde and Prince Adeyinka, the current vice president of the Nigeria Chess Federation, added to the excitement of our meeting. Once more, they took the time to explain to me some fundamental chess principles.

At this point in my life, I came to the conclusion that tournament in chess is what I may have to live with as a chess player. This again made my dad take a dip and look into what chess is really all about.

Chess is a big deal, you have to play for points to get rated among the best chess players in the world, and there are steps to achieving that.

My next tournament is going to be a major one with rated players. I do not have a rating, and as of then, I do not even have a FIDE ID. It is still basically about getting experience on the board and meeting other players.

The tournament is a classic game of one hour plus five minutes of added time. The tournament is going to last three days, with some of the best chess players coming from different locations. We did not know much about all this; to us, we were just going to a tournament. It was still at Babatund's request that we registered for the tournament. Did I mention that the tournament will last three days?

As is customary, I was the youngest at the time. I just turned seven years old, and I will be fractured in a tournament that has all calibers of personalities that have played chess for a long time.

TOURNAMENT AT THE NATIONAL STADIUM


This competition is one I will always make reference to. Even as a child, it repositioned my chess strength in a positive way. At this point, I realized that whoever I play against in chess does not really matter. The major thing I lack is experience, which some of the big players attested to.

My dad could not stay with me when the competition started on the first day. He dropped me off and went back to his office.

What he did was tell the arbiter to keep an eye on me as he was coming to pick me up after work.

The arena had a very conducive atmosphere, and everyone cooperated. I think I attracted attention especially when I needed to play against some very big guys.

On the second day, it was a Saturday, and now, my dad will be present throughout the period. He is my coach and what you would want to call a manager. His presence is a morale booster for me. Knowing that he is somewhere, sitting, gives me joy and confidence, even though he does not like watching my games.

I played to the best of my ability, and it was actually hard to beat those chess champions. So when it became clear that winning any of the rounds would be hard, the kids that came for the competition were made to play against themselves.

Playing against just the kids was a welcome development. I played as I could and, I deployed everything I was thought by my dada and Babatunde, and eventually, I came to the First position

PRESENTATION OF AWARDS


At the tournament, it was noticed that I was outstanding because of the way I took my time to respond to my opponents' attacks. The time control gave me enough time to think, and I made sure to play the best move each time it was my turn.

The tournament ended on Sunday, and the president of the Nigeria Chess Federation and other dignitaries were on hand to present the awards to the winners. That was also my first time meeting with the president.

The senior categories were the first to come for their medals. They were called out one after another to come forward for their medals. It was an interesting moment to see you get rewarded for three days of intense competition. Other contestants already know that I am the one who came out first in the junior category. They all looked forward to that moment when my name would be announced.

It was my turn to come forward to get my award. Everyone stood up, seeing that the smallest and the youngest could get a medal. I can begin to imagine how my dad felt about the whole success. His wish and dream for me are gradually becoming realities. Though the journey is just beginning, it is something nice to take home.

Extract from the tournament


Eleanor admiring my medal


Granting my first Interview with Nigeria Television Authority (NTA)
Youtu.be/ZTm5L2FnEHE
(Ivie interview starts at 2:35)
chesswitivie01.mp3   8:27 audio of Ivie Urieto interview [ 192 Kbps 11892 Kb ]


Getting a hand shake from one of the organizers


The President of Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF)


A friendly game with Eleanor


This hug was as a result of making everyone proud


With other contestants

2022-12-30 Fri 19:49 ct

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