Quote of the day.

We were having a staff meeting when we heard a loud bang. The Building just came down on us,we were many ; it affected the whole UN building .I am still dizzy but i am better than i was yesterday (Friday) - An employee of the World Health Organisation Mrs Patience Ekutudo , narrating her experience on Friday's Bomb attack on the United Nations' building in Abuja to jounalists.

Boko Haram School of Suicide Bombing

The Bombing of the UN (United Nations) building on Friday is still fresh in our memory it was a case of suicide bombing , when Farouk AbdulMutallab made an attempt to bomb a plane in the United states and Nigeria was put on the "Terrorism" list by the United states Nigerians were quick to defend our dear nation and the then Minister for Information, Madam Dora Akinyuli quickly called a press conference to re affirm that Nigeria is a great nation filled with Good people. before then there are no reported cases of suicide bombing involving Nigerians. The October 1st 2010 (independence day )bomb attack went with no one brought to book, Nigeria was welcomed into year 2011 with Bomb blasts in parts of the country. The bombing of the police headquarters in Abuja was the first case of suicide bombing i can recall within the shores of Nigeria.
The federal government has since attempted to solve the Boko Haram problem by heavy Military presence using the so called Joint task force (JTF), which has proved to be ineffective , in my opinion the JTF uses much brute force with little intelligence , much like shooting without aiming.
The recent Bombing of the United Nations Building by yet another Suicide bomber is an incident too many and it appears Boko haram a terrorist group which has since claimed responsibility for the attack are getting stronger, intelligence report suggested they have strong ties with
Al-Qaeda an international terrorist group.
One of the reasons given by "Boko Haram" is the insincerity of the Nigerian Government in Dialoging with them and they are demanding that all their men in Custody/detention all over the country must be released with immediate effect.
Taking a leaf from Western Countries which have had decades of encounters with Terrorism and more advance and organized suicide bombing and attacks, A serious or capable Government will NEVER engage in any form of Dialogue with Terrorists and this i believe is based on experience. How do you give amnesty to Religious fundamentalists without accepting their faith and bowing to their demands and dictates?
It seems a lot of training has gone into "Boko haram's school of Suicide Bombing
and i see a lot of people describe members of the sect as illiterates on online forums but i will not be surprised if there are many of them with the western Education which their group claim to be fighting against, although this is only a theory there may be many of the likes of Farouk AbdulMutallab out there giving instructions and lectures to "terrorists in training" in Nigeria suicide Bombers don’t just become suicidal in one day it is a rigorous training process.
The next set of suicide Bombers from Boko Haram are in training some where in Nigeria, waiting and planning to strike again and i wonder what the military intelligence and the Nigerian state secret service are doing about this?

Brila FM 88.9. vibrant Sports journalist Jibola Oni dies at 27

Jibola Oni, The enterprising young journalist died at the age of 27 on Monday in his home town in Ekiti State. The sudden death of the jounalist occured as a result of the effects of hepatitis B – a disease of the liver. The late Mr. Ajibola Oni (AKA Lukas Podolski) who was barely 27 years of age has been described as versatile and enterprising young journalist that has been excellent in the pursuit of his carrer.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) earlier sent a condolence letter signed by acting general secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu to the management and staff of the Brila FM 88.9 radio station as well as the family of the departed young man.

Footballer John Mikel Obi's Father found alive in !!

The kidnapped father of Chelsea football club midfielder John Obi Mikel was freed on Monday after detectives traced him to a Kano in northern Nigeria and arrested his abductors, the police commissioner announced Monday.
“a suspect led police to the house where Obi was being held. Obi was rescued and six suspects were arrested, five men and a woman,” Kano state police commissioner Ibrahim Idris told journalists, speaking of Michael Obi. “Obi is here with us as you can see.”
Michael Obi was kidnapped on August 12 while on his way home from work in the central Nigerian city of Jos. No ransom was paid, Idris said.
The initial gossip around town was that some members of Obi's family wants a share of Mikel Obi's wealth and decided to kidnap his father to achieve this aim.... like i said that was just a rumour, but then the suspects arrested from the raid should be quized to acertain wether there was complicity of a family relation or close associate of the Family that could have orchestrated the kidnap,i hope the Nigerian Police will conduct an effective investigation this time.

Mercy Johnson plans to go ahead with wedding this saturday against all odds!!

In spite of all the intrigues sorrounding Mercy Johnson's Fiance , the shock and the revelation that her "groom" Husband to be is legally married abroad with two kids, the Nigerian "Nollywood" actress appears to have decided to go ahead with the wedding this weekend August 27 at Christ Embassy INT.

Read the official statement from her publicist below...
Some called it a trial of love while others said it is a triumph of love, but for Mercy Johnson, it is simply a leap of faith.
We would like to formally inform the general public especially Mercy Johnson fans that after several legal and spiritual consultations, Mercy Johnson has decided to go ahead with the wedding plans.
MJ will be walking down the aisle come Saturday, August 27. She however urges her fans and friends to pray along with her and appreciates those who stood by her.
Signed
Bigsam Media

The Story and action sorrounding Mercy Johnson's wedding plans and the revelation by the Wife of Mercy's groom to be is somewhat akin to a typical storyline in Nollywood "Home Video" Movie,lets watch as this reality story line plays out,will it end in a tragedy or happy ever after , or will the controversy take the shine from what should have been very glamorous? Will anyone try to distrupt the wedding? is she right to have continued with the wedding plans? How will this "Super story" end? Guys whats your take on this.......feel free to drop your comments !!

Question for the Men - Good food or Good in Bed ?

Like a Yoruba saying goes Olobe lo l'oko meaning "the good cook is the best wife"
Guys, which do you prefer a wife/ lady or Woman that is very good in bed but very bad at cooking ? or one that is very good in the the kitchen but terrible in bed? personally the average man will be tempted to say "BOTH" but most will say they prefer the good sex and that the lady can always learn to cook, they get a chef/cook or they eat out..hmmm at least that is preferable to expressing preference for a lady that is a good cook and looking for the sex elsewhere (Outside).
like the saying goes, the path to a man's heart is his stomach .....does this apply to Nigerian men? but if you must chose one which will that be? Good food Versus good intimacy/sex a wonderful cook or a tiger in bed , which is preferable, which is a better quality in a wife material? Which one do you guys prefer? Guys, please feel free to drop your comments. before any comment take a look at the picture attached to this topic and let it be your guide LOL !!

Where is Chikwere Onyekwere??

Where is Chikwere Onyekwere? i met him personally at the National sports Festival Edo 2002, when i played him on Board three and gave him a scare, sacrificing my Knight for three passed pawns against his Sicilian Najdorf, the famous NXb5 sac! he won the N.B.L chess opens(Masters Category)making him the Nigerian National chess champion in the year 2005, after which he went on a tour to the United states and was doing well,we were in touch by email for a while but lost contact after some months. i saw his game against GM Gata Kamsky and also GM Nakamura, Hikaru (currently sixth in the world) though he lost both games against the American Champions in Open tournament but he played like a true master of the game and made some interesting moves and shows the gap between him and the GMs is not that much, he has scored well in major U.S. events, the World Open (5-4) and ended U.S. Open (7-2). many believed he was a Grand master in the making,for anyone in doubt, check out his profile

1999 (At age 14)
1. 2nd position in the U-16 category of THE NASKH CHESS CAMPIONSHIP 1999(Age: 14).Grand Master Sergie Tiviakov was invited to play a simul, and also took part in the Open Section.
2. 1st position in the U-14 category of the NEPA INTERNATIONAL OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 1999.
3. 1st position in the U-14 category of the AGUSTO NATIONAL JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 1999.
4. 1st position in the U-14 category of the NIGERIAN BREWRIES CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 1999.
2000 (At age 15)
1.1st position at the U-16 category and the overall winner of the U-20 category of the AGUSTO NATIONAL JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP, becoming the youngest player in Nigerian History to have won the National Junior chess championship at age 15 therefore became the National Junior Champion at age 15.
2001 (At age 16)
1. Represented Nigeria at the U-16 category of the World Youth Chess Championship in Spain.
2002(At age 17)
1. Gold Medalist at the National Sports Festival, Edo 2002.
2. Qualified at the Olympiad Trials to represent Nigeria at the World Chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia. (Over 80 players all over Nigeria were invited for the trials to select the best six in the country. He came fourth at the final stage. As a result he joined the Nigerias teams to the World Chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia. He is the youngest ever to represent Nigeria at the Olympiad at age 17.
3. Represented Nigeria at the African Junior Chess Championship held in Gaborone, Botswana in 2002.
2003(At age 18)
1. Won Grand Master Zurab Azmaiparashvilli of the Republic of Georgia in a simultaneous exhibition of 24 players. Grand Master Zurab won 20 games, drew 3 games and lost only one game to Chikwere. Grand Master Zurab Azmaiparashvilli was then the European Chess Champion for the year 2003 and was the trainer to the former world champion Garry Kasparov of Russia.
2. Represented Nigeria at the U-18 category of the World Youth Chess Championship held in Halkidiki, Greece 2003.
2004(At age 19)
1. Tied for 3rd position in the U-2200 category at the North American Open Chess Championship held in Las Vegas, U.S.A.
2005(At age 20)
1. Won several Chess tournaments at the Boylston Chess Club in Summerville, MA.
2.Won a tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana
3. Had an Average performance in the Open Section of the Foxwoods Chess Championship held in CT. Currently has a U.S chess rating of 2292.
4. Won the Nigerian Breweries Chess Championship (N.B.L) and became the current National Chess Champion for Nigeria. He is the National Chess Champion at age 20. He is the youngest player in Nigerian History to have won the National Championship at age 20.
2006 (Age 20 going to 21 in September)
Selected among the 12 Chess players to represent Nigeria at the Chess Olympiad coming up in May in Turin , Italy.
toured the US playing chess tournaments in 2006
the last thing i heard about Chikwere was when he expressed reservations concerning the level of players that competed for the USA zone qualifiers for olympiads and demanded to play IM Dapo Adu who qualified from that zone, this did not go down well with some chess "elders" notably Kenneth Odeh who felt insulted by Chikwere's comments on the www.thechessdrum.net , Chikwere later appologised and blamed frustration of not being able to make it for the trials, at a particular point i sensed a few things, Chikwere was no longer financially okay, niether was he enrolled in any school to further his studies and i doubt if he had a permanent stay in the states. it has been five years after and Chikwere is no where to be found, i hope all is well with this promising chess player (as he then was) where is Chikwere "Chi-Chi" Onyekwere ??

Mustapha Othman, A Nigerian Chess star in the making

Mustapha Othman with GM Magnus carlsen


Who is Mustapha Othman? He recently caught my attention on “The chess player’s association of Nigeria fan page where he has been talking about his performance in chess tournaments, I did not take him serious until I saw some of his games and his commendable tournament performance, He recently finished on a perfect score 5/5 in Uxbridge (Congress) tournament FIDE- major category in the united Kingdom, indeed he is a rising star and a potential master of the kings game ! Here is the Interview Naijahood had with him.

Can you tell us about yourself?

I was born on 9th August 1984. Raised in Kaduna State, I spent all my childhood years and most of my life there. I attended Montosorri Nursery school in Zaria from 1987 to 1990. My family then moved from Zaria to central Kaduna where I began my Primary education in Grays International School from 1990 to 1996. For my entire junior and senior secondary education, I attended Zamani College Kaduna from 1996 to 2002. I then attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 2002 to 2008 where I studied B.Sc. Computer Science. I spent my N.Y.S.C. year in Federal Polytechnic Idah, Kogi State where I served as a lecturer in the Computer Science department from 2008 to 2009. After my N.Y.S.C, I couldn’t make employment so I decided to further my education with an I.T. Security course in Appin Knowledge Solutions based in Chennai, India. After the course, I gained admission into a Masters course in Multimedia Applications and Virtual Environments in University of Sussex, based in Brighton, U.K. I will hopefully graduate in February 2012.

Tell us a bit about your “Chess History”


I learnt how to play chess when I was about 12 years old. I watched my cousin play against his friend and explaining the rules to us while they played and that was it. Although at the time, I still had problems of “what square the King sits on”, “how to castle” and “en-passant”. While I was in Zamani College, I joined the board games club where we had a teacher that cleared our doubts on issues of where the King sits, how to capture en-passant and castling. It was also in Zamani College that I played my first chess competition. It was a knockout format with students representing their house in the end of term inter-house competition. It was also my first tournament win.
When I started school in A.B.U, I realized the game was far more complicated than I thought it was. The A.B.U chess club played a huge role in my improvement in chess. Every member had his unique style of play and developed on that style. This allowed us to learn from one another and broaden our knowledge of the game. We played A.B.U. Semester rating every semester to crown a new ‘A.B.U. no 1’. For all my struggles and how badly I wanted that title, I never got it. I however, finished 2nd on 3 occasions and 3rd most of the time. My worst position in the semester ratings was 4th. For the period of my stay, I qualified in every NUGA players selection playoffs in A.B.U. Unfortunately for me, I never made it to any NUGA tournament due to unforeseen circumstances I could not avoid.
In 2008, a friend hosted a tournament aimed at bringing together Zaria players and Kaduna (town) players. There were about 25 – 28 players. I finished 2nd in that one. Before the Kaduna sports festival 2008 started, there were a series of playoffs to select players to represent the State. I finished 2nd in the 3 playoffs I played. Once again, fate had it that I would not play in the Sports Festival as it was my N.Y.S.C year.

During my studies in India, I enrolled into a chess class lead by former Indian legend, I.M. Manuel Aaron. As I liked attacking a lot, I usually sacrificed pieces even if I was not sure of the outcome. He kept on advising me to avoid giving away pieces for free. According to him, you only do that when you are losing and you want to complicate things and make the game difficult for your opponent to win. I played 2 FIDE rated tournaments in India. The first was 2nd Manali FIDE rating and was a 10 round Swiss for under 2200 ELO. I obtained my rating (1627 ELO) in that tournament as I beat 5 rated players. I finished with 6 points in that tournament with some disheartening losses. The second tournament was King Anand First International FIDE rated tournament in Pondicherry. It was also a 10 round swiss restricted for under 2100 ELO. I once again finished with 6 points but with a better performance than the first, improving my rating to 1699.
In September 2010, I played in Brighton Congress (Major section) which was a 5 round FIDE rated tournament and restricted for under 2000 ELO. I won 3 games and drew 2. As a result, I tied up in 2nd place with 2 others, half point behind the winner, Jacob Sydney. In December the same year, I played in the historic London Chess Classic event (Open busy section). The Open busy was later joined with the Open section after round 5. There were 9 rounds in total. I finished with 4 points out of 9. Luckily for me, 3 losses which I sustained in the Open busy were not to be included in the rating calculations as the busy section was not FIDE rated. Only the main Open was. This saw me rise to 1755 ELO when added to my increase in Brighton Congress. However, this was not my main cause of excitement in that tournament. It was how close I came to present legends of the chess world. I mean “Imagine bumping into Magnus Carlsen on your way out of the toilet” or “having a chat with David Howell alongside his girlfriend” or “hearing Vladimir Kramnik’s giant voice right behind you”. London Classic was a real classic indeed.
During the new year period, from 28th December 2010 into 2011, I put up my worst tournament performance in London Christmas Open which was a 6 round swiss open for all players. I finished with 2.5 out of 6 and lost 4 points in my ELO rating. I however made a comeback in February when I played in Brighton International (Major Group G) which was a 10 round all play all (10 players round robin). With 1755 ELO, I was luckily the highest rated in my group. I won 8 rounds and drew 1 to finish half point ahead of 2nd place, Anna Charpidou who won 8 and only lost to me in the last round. The tournament gave me an increment of 39 ELO points. When added to the -4 , I previously got, I’ll settle at 1790 in the new March 2011 ratings.

Tell us about the most recent tournament?

Finally, my most recent tournament was the Uxbridge congress in March 2011. I played in the Major section which was a 5 round swiss. I finished with 5 points out of 5 with a staggering 2625 performance rating. Of course, I know I am nowhere near that rating and I still don’t know how performance ratings are calculated but it does feel good when you put up a good performance. As for my rating change, I did the calculations myself and I’m expecting an increment of 85 points. If I’m correct, then I’ll settle on 1875 ELO in the next rating calculations.

Which is your best tournament so far?

The Uxbridge tournament was no doubt my best tournament so far. Even though the rating performance might have been over exaggerated, I think I performed well above my current 1755 rating. In particular, my endgame (which was my main weakness) has drastically improved

How high do you want to go in chess? International master or perhaps Grand master?

It is every chess player’s dream to one day, become a grandmaster. I used to think it was impossible for me. But to be honest, now I’m not so sure. One thing I’m sure of however is that I’ll chase an I.M. title for as long as I live. And if I happen to obtain that, then I’ll decide whether or not it is worth it to further chase a G.M. title.

How do you prepare for Tournaments, Choice of openings and training?

I remember saying that it was necessary to get a perfect score in order to win the Uxbridge tourney. With over 60 participants, that seemed to be the only way. I usually study middle games and endgames as part of my preparations before any tournament. Openings I study few minutes before the game based on my opponent’s past games and choice of openings. If my opponent is a highly tactical player, I chose closed games. If on the other hand, he is more of a positional player, I tend to open up the game, sometimes even at the cost of a pawn. The main thing I try to do is not give my opponent the type of game he wants.
This strategy really helped me in round 4 of the Uxbridge tourney when I played Jacob Sydney, rated 1970. He is a very good positional player and very strong in the endgame. Furthermore, he adopts the French defense which usually gave me problems. Before the game I studied a few sharp lines in the French and used it against him. Surprisingly, the game that was supposed to be my toughest turned out to be the easiest. Jacob simply blundered in fear which ended the game in less than 25 moves

Which game did you find most difficult?

My toughest game in the Uxbridge tourney was round 3 against Ali Golam S. rated 1850. I didn’t know what type of player he was and assumed he was the positional type. My assumption was wrong as he immediately attacked the moment he got the chance. I defended for almost 2/3rd of the entire game. Something I’m usually poor at. This time however, I was able to absorb the pressure and later arrived at an endgame where I was a Bishop up. Even then, he tied my pieces down and kept on the pressure. The game was tough because he not only tested my defending skills but also my psychological and endgame strength. It was really difficult finding the winning move in what seemed like a puzzle in the endgame where a wrong move would have given him the victory. It was also after watching that long game that most of the players began to site me as a possible contender for the tournament top spot.

What did you learn from the tournament?

The most important thing I learnt in the Uxbridge tournament was the need to vary my openings and style of play. Having seen how Jacob Sydney collapsed due to lack of familiarizing himself with sharp tactics, I have decided I need to further balance my strength between sharp middle game play and good positional endgame play. I will also need to add more unusual openings to my arsenal. Unusual openings have performed wonders for me so far.

Do you intend coming for the wole soyinka chess classics in Nigeria in July ?
I will try my possible best to see that I attend the Wole Soyinka chess classics. There is no feeling like playing at home. Besides, I would love to test my progress on most of my chess friends in Nigeria. Some of which still believe I’m a fish.(Novice) I would like to officially prove to them I’m no more a fish (Novice) LOL!?

Do you have any other tournament in mind before then?

Before the Wole Soyinka chess classics, I’ll participate in Sunningdale Congress in may 2011 in the U.K. That will be the last tournament of a 3 tourney grand prix which I’m currently in the lead. I need 6 points out of the 7 rounds in order to guarantee myself the grand prix trophy.
Nice having you on Naijahood
Thank you very much!


What caught my attention was Mustapha Othmans Hunger for the game ,when he got to the University of sussex For his postgraduate degree and found out that there is no chess club on campus, he left a message akin to that of Optimus Prime in the movie “ the Tranformers” on a blog, it said and I quote

"I have a chessboard and a clock. If there are chess lovers like me out there pls let me know so we could form our own chess club. It's unfortunate that out of all the variety of activities that sussex sport offer, they have no provision for the 'game of life."

words of a passionate chess player willing to mingle I don’t see this “ Mustapha Othman “ as a chess Novice (Fish) but a player capable of becoming a FIDE master sooner than later though only if he can learnt from his Tournament experience, Horn and improve his skills as he meets more experienced players up the ladder, hoping to hit (the above)2000 ELO rating soon, indeed his chess story so far should motivate the Average Nigerian chess player. -GM Akinov

Graduate Teacher Trainee Programme at Corona School

Corona School Trust Council is currently seeking candidates for Graduate Teacher Trainee Programme 2011. Corona I-Teach is a training and recruitment program aimed at attracting and engaging young bright minds irrespective of their initial academic discipline, into the 21st century world of teaching.
A World-Class Graduate Teacher Trainee Programme

The Programme
The Corona I-TEACH Program is to assess bright young graduates each year, irrespective of their initial academic discipline.
This 21st century teacher development & recruitment program intends to attract our nation’s most promising future leaders into the teaching profession.
Secondly, as part of our corporate social responsibility we will provide the platform for an employability training program.
At the end of the training, candidates who meet our short listing criteria will graduate into the trainee scheme. This is the first of the inbuilt evaluation processes.
The Program will involve a 6 month wide spectrum core teacher and personal development training Program which will utilize various forms of training methodologies useful for adult learning and engagement.
Why Build A Career With Corona?
A world class educational institution with 21st century teaching tools.
Industry competitive salary and compensation structure.
Opportunities for personal development and structured career growth.
Teaching is for the best brains and you are ONE!
Qualification Requirements
A second class upper (2-1) from a recognized institution in and outside Nigeria.
Open ONLY to fresh graduates who completed NYSC not more than a year ago.
Applicants must be within 21 and 26 years of age.
Readiness to embrace teaching as a first/preferred career option.
No prior teaching experience required.
Above average ICT skills.
Strong communication skills, proficiency in a foreign language is an added advantage.
Implementation Partner
AGDC Employability & Enterprise Development Ltd/GTE - A Social Enterprise accredited as a National Career Centre by the Federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria.

Application Deadline
Application closes on the 11th of March, 2011.

Method of Application
To apply, log on to www.coronaschools.org.ng/i-teach/

Magnus Carlsen decides to quit the World Championship

Magnus Carlsen, the 19-year old Norwegian chess prodigy who is ranked #1 on the live chess ratings and widely recognized as one of the main candidates to become the next World Chess Champion, has sent an official letter to FIDE stating that he will not participate in the Candidates Matches next year.

To: FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov & FIDE World Championship Committee.

Reference is made to the ongoing World Championship cycle.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my decision not to take part in the planned Candidate Matches between March and May 2011.

After careful consideration I’ve reached the conclusion that the ongoing 2008–2012 cycle does not represent a system, sufficiently modern and fair, to provide the motivation I need to go through a lengthy process of preparations and matches and to perform at my best.


Reigning champion privileges, the long (five year) span of the cycle, changes made during the cycle resulting in a new format (Candidates) that no World Champion has had to go through since Kasparov, puzzling ranking criteria as well as the shallow ceaseless match-after-match concept are all less than satisfactory in my opinion.

By providing you with four months notice before the earliest start of the Candidates as well as in time before you have presented player contracts or detailed regulations, I rest assured that you will be able to find an appropriate replacement.

Although the purpose of this letter is not to influence you to make further changes to the ongoing cycle, I would like to take the opportunity to present a few ideas about future cycles in line with our input to FIDE during the December 27th 2008 phone-conference between FIDE leaders and a group of top-level players.

In my opinion privileges should in general be abolished and a future World Championship model should be based on a fair fight between the best players in the World, on equal terms. This should apply also to the winner of the previous World Championship, and especially so when there are several players at approximately the same level in the world elite. (Why should one player have one out of two tickets to the final to the detriment of all remaining players in the world? Imagine that the winner of the 2010 Football World Cup would be directly qualified to the 2014 World Cup final while all the rest of the teams would have to fight for the other spot.)

One possibility for future cycles would be to stage an 8-10 player World Championship tournament similar to the 2005 and 2007 events.

The proposal to abolish the privileges of the World Champion in the future is not in any way meant as criticism of, or an attack on, the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who is a worthy World Champion, a role model chess colleague and a highly esteemed opponent.

Rest assured that I am still motivated to play competitive chess. My current plan is to continue to participate in well-organised top-level tournaments and to try to maintain the no 1 spot on the rating list that I have successfully defended for most of 2010.

Best regards,
IGM Magnus Carlsen