11-Year-Old Pryce-Tandoh Holds Seasoned IM to Draw

An 11-year-old chess player from Ghana has made an impressive start to the 2025 Africa Zone 4.2 Chess Championships in Lagos, Nigeria, securing a draw against experienced Nigerian International Master (IM) Oladapo Adu.

Jeshurun Obiri Yeboah Pryce-Tandoh, one of two Ghanaian representatives at the regional tournament, defied his lower rating to hold the former Nigerian national champion to a stalemate on the opening day.

The young talent, who has a current chess rating of 1656, faced a significant challenge against the 53-year-old IM Adu, whose rating stands at 2060 and who is seeded 11th in the open category.

Adu boasts a distinguished chess career, having represented Nigeria at multiple international events, including the Chess Olympiads and the FIDE World Cup. He clinched the Nigerian national title back in 1995.

Despite the rating difference of over 400 points, Pryce-Tandoh, considered one of Ghana’s rising chess stars, demonstrated remarkable composure.

He previously made waves as the youngest Ghanaian to compete in the 2024 National Championship, finishing in a commendable seventh place.

His draw against Adu earned him a valuable 16.8 rating points and propelled him to 15th place in the current standings, remarkably placing him ahead of the Nigerian IM in 16th position.

Looking ahead, Pryce-Tandoh faces another tough opponent in Sierra Leone’s Candidate Master (CM) Ansumana Kamara.

The 52-year-old, with a rating of 1883, suffered a first-round defeat against Nigerian IM Odion Aikhoje, a chess veteran who secured Africa’s first individual gold medal at the 1998 Chess Olympiad and is considered a strong contender for the title.

The other Ghanaian participant, CM Bernard Anhwere, the silver medallist at the 2024 Ghana national championship, experienced a setback in his opening game, losing to the top seed, IM Mariano Ortega Amarelle from Cabo Verde. 

Anhwere (rating 1906) will next compete against Lumen Paco Semeko of Togo (rating 1727).

The 2025 Africa Zone 4.2 Chess Championships, also known as the West Africa Chess Championship, has brought together 42 chess players from Nigeria, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Mali.

They are competing in the open and women’s categories of the zonal championship, which runs from April 1 to 8 at the Citiheight Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

The impressive performance of young Jeshurun Obiri Yeboah Pryce-Tandoh has undoubtedly set an exciting tone for Ghana’s participation in the tournament.