By S. Siapha Mulbah
Liberia former female chess champion, Abegail Karyah, is currently raising the hope of her motherland at the 2024 West African Chess Championship following her historic win over Bridget Micheal who is regarded as the best female chess player in the western region of Africa.
Abegail, 15, is one of the nation’s promising intellects who has chosen chess as a way of life.
She has played in several international chess tournaments including the Olympiad and other regional tournaments.
Currently taking place in Liberia, the Zone 4.2 Chess championship accredited by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is prospecting a big possibility for the lass to unleash her skill in becoming one of the continent’s recognized ranking top players in the not too distant future.
What appeared to be a hard nut-to-crack, Karyah, with a rating of 1770 defeated the West African best female chess player Micheal, from Nigeria, in round two pairing in the women session.
Micheal currently has a rating of 1945 which is the highest for a female player participating in the 2024 Zonal event.
The foreign player gained strength in positioning chess display according to her opponents but Karyah stood as the end of her long-lasting winning spree.
Speaking to reporters, Karyah expressed joy of siting on the board one of her best ever encounter against a highly rated players to get a deserving win. According to her the greatest result expected from a young player paired with the Nigerian icon had been a draw in the past, which makes her believe in her personal growth as a player.
She explained that the game against Michael was her favorite game so far at the West African Chess Championship because both sides had strong and excellent touches on the pieces to take the time spent on the board.
According to her, no one expected Bridget to slip collecting defeat from anyone in the competition while she (Karyah) took on the pairing appeared with confidence to get a positive result to better up her chances along the way.
“I won against the top Nigerian players in the competition, but to be honest, this year it is really tough. She and I have the same style of play as positional players so, we had to spent longer time on the board. It was my favorite because that was the game that made me think the most,” Karyah asserted.
