Everything in life is tied to Chess.

Assurance Ugheighele (aka ICON) is a professional chess player whose passion for the game is matched by her impressive achievements. She’s a 4-time Best Female at Chess Heights Lagos’ monthly tournament awardee and has earned several medals.

Outside of chess, Assurance studies Business Administration at the University of Benin. She’s also the General Legal Counsel for Junior Chamber International Nigeria, University of Benin. Plus, she’s a political enthusiast and holds positions as a parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker for the Nigerian University Association of Management and Business Students (NUAMBS).

In the future, Assurance plans to start a Chess Academy for children. Here, she talks to us about her journey in chess and how the game has influenced her life.

When did you first start playing chess, and what drew you to the game initially?

I started playing chess in SS 1. I was walking down an aisle of classrooms during break. Through the window, I saw Mrs Bisi (my chess teacher) teaching, and she asked me to come in. I called my best friend, Victoria, to walk with me because I was so shy then. We walked in  together, and that was how my journey started. 

What drew me to the game? On the streets, I saw people playing Checkers and thought it was chess, but when I began to learn Chess, I realized that the pieces and arrangements were different, and I was drawn to the uniqueness of the game.

What do you like best about chess?

Chess speaks to life in general. I've analysed quite a number of scenarios in life and could easily relate them to Chess. There’s nothing you can bring out now that I can't link to chess one way or the other and examine its possibilities, potentials, mistakes, or failures. Everything tied to life is tied to the game of chess.

What are some practical skills you’ve learned from playing chess that you use in other aspects of your life?

1. Leadership. As a chess player, you’re the leader of your pieces, the board, and your mind.

2. Strategic planning. You need to have a plan A and plan B because, in chess, there are millions of possible variations of moves that can be made at every point in time.

3. Problem solving. How to solve every position in a chess board is a puzzle. 

4. Quick thinking. To play chess accurately, you have to think fast.

5. Adaptability. In professional chess tournaments, players stay in cold rooms. I don’t like being in cold environments, so when I go for tournaments, I prepare my mind and carry my sweater and hoodie. Eventually, I’ve adapted. Now, I can stay in a cold room for four to five hours because I’m used to it. 

Another angle to this is adaptability on the board. When a game is not in my favour, I still have to play because there might be a twist at the end of the day.  My opponent might make a mistake. I might be able to hold on and draw the game.

6. Chess has taught me patience in ways I could not imagine. I can sit for 4 hours playing chess without any breaks—be it to stand, use the restroom, or drink water.

7. Chess has taught me focus. During chess tournaments, I can't get distracted. Even when distractions occur, I have to maintain focus because I can't afford to lose track of my train of thoughts.

8. How to maintain relationships. I know it sounds funny, but chess is not just about you on the board; it’s about the other person in front of you. There’s no relationship on the chess board, so I've learned to maintain relationships outside the chess board regardless of losing or winning. This has come in handy to me in the business world. As a business administrator, I’ve learned to maintain relationships by setting boundaries and maintaining professionalism.

If your chess pieces could speak, which one would be the most outspoken and why?

When I was going through the interview questions, I saw this and was like, “this is actually a good one”. This question is very interesting and I’d never thought of it before. I had to play a series of games to see how I play, and I noticed that my most outspoken chess piece is my king. 

Why? I play well and usually reach the endgame. (An endgame is usually the king with his pawns or a few pieces on the board.) The king does a lot of work at the endgame. Though he takes one step at a time, he says and does a lot of things.

Is there gender discrimination in the chess world? Does your gender affect how people view your skill?

In the chess world, there’s not much disparity or discrimination. If anything, it's in favour of the female gender. If you've noticed, most of the chess NGOs and growing chess communities tend to focus on women, children, people with disabilities, and people from marginalised backgrounds. They don’t often focus on the male child.

However, there have been many occasions when people have viewed my skills as weak because I’m female, but when they meet me on the chessboard, they witness my expertise firsthand. I remember visiting a restaurant around my hostel where they play chess every evening. I'd always watched them play, and I decided to join them one evening. I beat every single person that came to play with me, and they nicknamed me “Mama” and “GM”. 

Who are your favourite chess players? Why?

I don’t have a favourite chess player, but the people that I admire the most are:

• Jim Ginger: GM Ginger's Black Lion has been a turnaround for my Black chess game 

• Magnus Carlsen: His games are beautiful. He recently recounted a game he played in 2007 from start to finish—and accurately! His brain must be wired differently, because that’s beyond human. He's a genius, so it’s no wonder he has been dominating the chess world for years. I also love his attitude towards games; he handles losses gracefully. He inspires me.

How do you prepare for tournaments? Do you have any superstitions or rituals before playing a match?

I prepare for tournaments mentally and physically. 

Physically: I get enough sleep; I eat well and take enough sugar; I dress comfortably. Sometimes, I don't do my hair. I do simple cornrows so I can focus without anything itching me or feeling heavy on my head.

Mentally: I keep my affirmations on lock. Chess is a mind game, and I believe that victory begins in the mind, so I prepare my mind adequately. 

One of my “superstitious” rituals is singing. I listen to music before and during my tournaments, because during a game, not only the game alone is going through your head. You have the power to control any other thing your mind does. Your mind can drift to puzzles you've solved or books you’ve read to help you in your game. So, you have to contain your thoughts. I sing to contain my thoughts. 

Also, before any tournament, I pick a song based on my mood and play it on repeat. While I play, I sing the song in my head. When I feel tired, I relax, sing the song in my head so I don't drift away, and then come back. 

Can you describe one of your most memorable games and what made it stand out?

The Nigerian University Games (NUGA) at the University of Lagos 2022. I'd just learned the Black Lion move, and I was on fire. I won 2 silver medals with just 0.5 points from Gold. I remember my last game; my opponent was a strong contender, but I won in 10 moves. When I replay and analyse that game in my head, I see myself playing like an engine. I was really happy with myself.

Who has been your toughest opponent so far, and what made them challenging to play against?

My toughest opponent so far is Mr. Ogbogho Dennis. I played against him in the Southwest Zonal Tournaments in Osun state. I think it was Round 3. I was the only female on the first five top boards. 

When the pairings came out, I saw my name on board five, one of the top boards, to play against one of the strongest players in the country, and I was so nervous. But I'd just won a game against a strong player, so I encouraged myself with that. 

I lost the game, but I was happy, because it’s rare for an upcoming player to play in tournaments and be paired with strong players. In other words, I lost, but I won, in the sense that I gained a lot of experience and learned valuable lessons. Pairing with strong players helps you see your mistakes clearly and how to improve on them.

What advice would you give to young or aspiring chess players looking to improve their game?

1. Understand that chess is time and resource-consuming. You’re going to spend a lot of time, effort, and materials to improve. 

2. Don’t think the only essence of playing chess is to win tournaments. Apply what you learn from playing chess to every aspect of your life. That way, you improve your skills and also become a better person.

3. Chess players aren’t smarter than everyone else; they’re just exposed to a deep level of thinking which they acquire because of the mechanics and mental rigors of the game. So if you’re playing chess to prove you’re smart, you’re on the wrong path.

4. I know pride comes with playing chess, but there should also be humility that comes with giving out what you've learned from the game. Teach people. Talk to people. Impart your knowledge to people. This is the rationale behind my idea to create a children-focused chess academy.

5. Aside from wins and titles, focus on other things knowing how to play chess can give you, like exposure and relationships. Focus on that and everything will fall into place in the end.

6. Lastly, this is to both chess players and non-chess players: not everyone can be a grandmaster; not everyone can be an international chess master; but everyone can think like a grandmaster.

We have the, well, assurance that you enjoyed reading Assurance’s story. What stood out to you? Tell us in the comments!

If you’ve not subscribed yet…