Every chess player has a story of how they got into the game. For some, it was a movie (I know righttt, so cliché), for others, it was a sibling rivalry, a school club, or pure curiosity. But no matter how it started, that first moment - the first move, the first win, the first checkmate - sticks with you.
This isn’t your typical love story, but it’s mine, and it started on 64 squares :)
A Peek into My World
My name is Obiamaka Agbazue, but everybody calls me Omalicha (for obvious reasons). I’m the fourth of five daughters. A fun fact? I’m not a fan of shawarma (don’t judge me—it’s a safe space).
I’d say I’m academically inclined. I’m currently studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Lagos. I love poetry (even though I don’t rate myself as a great poet), and my guilty pleasure is either watching a movie or sleeping - because honestly, sleep has to be one of the best things to exist.
And of course, I’m a chess player.
How I Met My First Love
They say love finds you when you least expect it. That was true for me. My first encounter with the 64 squares was through my older sister, Precious. She had just started secondary school and joined the chess club. During the holiday, she was super eager to teach us (her younger sisters) everything she had learnt.
I don’t remember my exact age, but I was in either primary 1 or 3 (I skipped primary 2, a story for another day). She taught us the names of the pieces and how they move. I was instantly intrigued. It felt like a whole different world where I had control. Okay, not full control, but it was fascinating.
But every time she played against us, she always won (I mean, why wouldn’t she?). So yeah... I lost interest. Or so I thought.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Fast forward to when I got into secondary school. Like every other JJC, I was eager to jump into all the activities I could find. You can just imagine my joy when I discovered there was a chess club. That spark I thought had died suddenly reignited.
Of course, I bragged to my mates that I already knew how to play. The coach, Coach Boyo, overheard and called me out. He asked if I was Precious’ sister (people say we look alike, but I honestly don’t see it). That moment marked the real beginning of my chess journey.
I started going for training regularly, and not long after, I began representing my school at tournaments. For a newbie, I wasn’t bad at all. But I got carried away. I thought I was already good enough, so I stopped training seriously.
By JSS2, there were new faces on the team, and guess what? I didn’t make the list. A normal person would’ve taken that as a wake-up call, right? Well, not Oma. I quit chess again.
Love Found Me Again
You’re probably wondering - how did I get back to it?
It was a random Saturday morning. After our usual hostel inspection, someone came to tell me Coach Boyo was looking for me. Turns out there was a tournament and they needed one more player, so I was summoned.
Surprisingly, I played well. That day, I won my first chess board. It came in that long, foldable plastic container, the one every tournament player has, with pieces always threatening to spill out. After the tournament, my coach pulled me aside for a talk I’ll never forget. He said:
“You have the brains for anything you decide to take on. If you take chess as seriously as you take your studies, you’d be unstoppable.”
That hit me. Hard.
True Love Makes You Grow
There’s this odd belief that guys should always be better at chess than girls. I’ve lost count of the number of guys I beat in the early days of my chess journey. Till today, I get random messages from guys asking for a rematch because apparently, I beat them years ago (I rarely even remember the names and faces, especially if I won).
My relationship with chess has been like one with a toxic lover you just can’t breathe without. I won’t say I’m unstoppable yet, but I’m getting there.
It’s been a journey of learning, growing, stumbling, and rising. Chess has humbled me, challenged me, and shaped me. Sometimes it breaks my heart, but I fall in love with it a little more every day.
No matter what comes next, chess will always be that first spark I never outgrew.
A New Chapter
I have tons of stories about my chess journey, but I’ll end this one here. I’ve longed for a community where I could share them, so I’m beyond grateful to my friend @samostically (whom I met through chess) and @kintokris for onboarding me through the HiveChess onboarding project and giving me the perfect space to begin.
Shoutout to @stayoutoftherz for creating my account, and @aliento for delegating the resource credits I needed to get started here.
Your Turn 🙃
Every chess player has a story. What’s yours?
Funny? Ridiculous? Sweet? However it went down, share it in the comments. This is a safe space. 💖