By Amaechi Agbo

Divine Akinrogunde has emerged winner of the Barrister Kehinde Cletus Idemudia Memorial Chess completion in Edo State.

The competition which featured boys and girls categories, saw Divine Akinrogunde defeat Richy Osaware to come top in the boys’ category, while Esther Sonyaolu defeated Victoria Oyakhilome to come first in the girls category

The event which was held on 9th May 2025 at the premises of Swift Education Centre in Benin City, Edo State, had 39 students from five secondary school in attendance.

Cash prizes of N40, 000, N30,000, N20000 and N10, 000 were won by the four best students in the boys’ and girls’ categories. A total of five rounds were played with a time control of 20 minutes per player. Two tie break matches were played to determine the winner for the boys’ category and for the second and third places in the girls category. The fourth positions had multiple winners, as with the custom in chess the prize allocated for the fourth position was shared equally amongst the fourth-place winners.

Medals and trophies were given to winners and their schools while certificates were awarded to all participants and officials. Divine Akinrogunde defeated Richy Osaware to come top in the boys’ category, while Esther Sonyaolu defeated Victoria Oyakhilome to come first in the girls category.

It would be recall that until his death in May 2013, Barrister K.C. Idemudia was a retired Permanent Secretary in the Edo State civil service. He was a devoted Christian of the catholic faith. His astute management of human and financial resources was rewarded with a “bead” by the late Oba Erediauwa, for the role he played in organizing the activities of the 1979 coronation ceremony of the late Benin Monarch.