Abdulraheem supports early chess training in Nigeria

Nigeria’s top-ranked chess player and 2025 West African champion, Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem, has urged parents, schools and corporate organizations to encourage children to start learning chess from a young age, saying this would help produce stronger players in the future.

Abdulraheem stated this at the Chess Masters 2026 competition organized by Key Academy, where he praised the growing participation of young players in the game.

In an interview with Sportxvibe.com.ng, Abdulraheem said he was excited to see many children participating in the tournament.

“I am excited to see this type of event. I see a lot of children playing chess. Chess is a lifelong passion for me, and seeing them learn to play so young, I am sure that very soon we will have players who will be even much better than me,” he said.

He explained that starting early gives children a big advantage, adding that many of the achievements that took him years to achieve could now be achieved faster by young players with the right guidance.

“The things I did in 10 years, I think these kids could do in two or three years. That’s the opportunity to start very early,” he said.

Abdulraheem noted that as a child, he did not have access to the same opportunities that young players have today, forcing him to learn through books, trial and error, and painful defeats.

“I had to acquire the necessary chess knowledge by reading many books and through trial and error. If I had had a coach from the beginning, I would have understood the important principles much faster,” he said.

The chess champion also called on corporations, universities and sports associations to reward excellence in chess through sponsorships, scholarships and embassy opportunities.

“The main thing is that we should reward people who do well. If a child performs well in this type of tournament and gets sponsorship or an ambassador, other children will see that success is possible through chess,” he said.

According to him, rewarding merit would create healthy competition and drive better results for the sport in Nigeria.

Abdulraheem, who won the West African Championship in 2025, attributed his rise to the top of the Nigerian chess rankings to passion, discipline and constant study.

“If you don’t love chess, it’s difficult at the highest levels. Passion is the key. I’m always thinking about chess, always studying chess,” he said.

Comparing Nigeria to stronger chess nations, Abdulraheem said countries like Egypt currently have a deeper chess culture, but expressed confidence that Nigeria is progressing through youth-focused events.

“In the next 10 years, I guarantee you, we will also have many young people who will do very well,” he said.

He added that children should start learning chess at age five, once they can understand the basics.