By Ayodele Oni
An eight-year old chess player in Edo state will henceforth enjoy royal care, courtesy of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for her proficiency in the game.
Emmanuela Iyobosa Omoragbon, one of the participants in a chess tournament, was declared a child of the Palace after playing the ceremonial first move with her to open the Royal Rapid Chess Classic 2026.
The tournament is part of activities marking the 10th coronation anniversary of the monarch. The opening took place at the palace in Benin City.
Declaring the girl a child of the palace, the Oba directed palace chiefs in the administrative arm to obtain her details from her mother, Mrs Doris Omoragbon, a national chess champion and senior player with the Edo State Sports Commission.
“This child is now a child of the Palace. From now on, I want the Palace to monitor the progress of the little girl: how she is doing with chess, her education and her welfare.
“Even the food she eats, we want to know. The Palace will now take care of her needs,” the monarch said.
“If there are any challenges concerning her, the parents must bring them to my notice. For a child of eight to be playing chess at this level is wonderful.”
Describing chess as a strategic game for the intelligentsia, the Oba pointed out that many people wrongly equate it with draughts played in beer parlours.
“Many people do not know the advantages of chess. They think it is the same as the game of draughts people play at beer parlours, but it is not. It is a game that makes you rack your brain. It prepares one to be proactive. It helps in decision-making and good planning.”
He added that the game is meant for military hierarchy, policy makers and administrators, and that it “sharpens your focus and high sense of anticipation.”
The Monarch promised to add Royal prizes to the winners of the competition who will be receiving a royal souvenir (bronze cash) during the grand finale on November 21.
He further revealed that little girl he adopted will also receive a royal gift. The Chess players and students of Edo college that visited the palace received a royal gift of N2M, while N250,000 royal gift was given to the mother of the adopted child Mrs Omoragbon.
Mrs Omoragbon said she was overwhelmed by the gesture and would carry the news to her husband and the rest of the family, saying they would remain grateful to the monarch.
Emmanuela, a chess player with the Edo State Sports Commission, is a Primary 2 pupil of Oman Christian Academy, Benin City.
The competition continued at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin City, with 126 of the 130 registered players in attendance. They were drawn from 10 states, including Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun and host state Edo.
The chess game coordinator, Augustine Apemiye, thanked the Oba for including chess in the anniversary programme.
He said the approval of the monarch was being sought for the establishment of the Oba Ewuare II Chess Club, which would give children in the palace the opportunity to learn the game. He volunteered to bring in chess champions to train them.
In the open category, the winner takes home the star prize of N350,000, followed by N250,000 for second place and N150,000 for third. Players placed fourth to tenth receive N50,000 each. The best Edo indigene and best veteran player will also receive N50,000 each.
In the under-20 category, for both men and women, first place wins N100,000, second N80,000 and third N50,000. The under-14 winners receive N30,000, N20,000 and N10,000 for first to third places, while the under-10 prizes are N25,000, N15,000 and N10,000.
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