A few things to know about the chess prodigy Deborah Quickpen:
1. Coming from a humble background in Bayelsa, her parents struggled to pay her school tuition, and she almost dropped out due to financial difficulties.
2. She started playing chess at the age of 3 after being discovered by my good friend and Nigeria’s current national champion, @BKigigha, who has coached her ever since.
3. In 2018, she represented Bayelsa state at the National Sports Festival, becoming the youngest athlete to ever participate in the festival’s history.
4. She won three gold medals at the National Youth Games, making history as the youngest person to win 18 out of 18 games.
5. Deborah won the Under-10 African Youth Chess Championship in Accra, Ghana, becoming the youngest Nigerian female player to be conferred the Woman Candidate Master title.
6. At the age of 10, she was appointed Youth Ambassador for Sports by Bayelsa State Governor Sen Douye Didi.
7. In 2023, at the age of 11, she became Nigeria’s female national champion, a record that might take decades to break.
8. She is the highest-ranked under-12 female chess player in Africa and the third in the world.
9. Currently in JSS3, she maintains a stellar academic performance, earning double promotions in primary school.
10. Next month, she will represent Nigeria at the FIDE World Cup in Georgia.
With the right financial support and visibility, Deborah could very well become West Africa’s first chess grandmaster. She’s young,driven and hardworking.
I’m immensely proud of Deborah and honored to play her in a match on June 11th in preparation for her first World Cup appearance in Georgia.
Let’s support our very own Queen’s Gambit!