Olawale Oyeleye authors “Every Beginner’s Chess Book” with 215 Puzzles
Mr. Olawale Oyeleye, an International Chess Federation (FIDE) licensed Chess in School Instructor has authored a book titled Every Beginner’s Chess Book” with 215 Puzzles. The book which has been unveiled to Chess players, organizers, arbiters, coaches, and corporate Nigerian recently is a worthy addition to the book of knowledge on the board game.
While welcoming participants to the virtual launch, Mr. Oyeleye noted that the idea of the book had been on his mind in the last 9 years when he saw that there was a gap in the book of works for young chess players in Nigeria and largely Africa.
According to him, “I took time to research on the essentials of what is needed for beginners and today, we have a book which is full of illustrations to make the teaching of Chess in schools and in clubs easy for youngsters.”
In his words at the event, a member of the FIDE Athlete Commission and Chairman of ACC Players Commission, International Master Odion Aikhoje, commended the author for putting together a laudable book on Chess. The positive mindset of the author had motivated him to see the project through despite the trying times that we are in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said, “The book is dedicated to explaining the game of chess and talking about the benefits of chess. Previously encountered Chess books are technical books but the extra illustration by the author can make one know more about the game. The book helps to visualize and calculate the moves on the board and this piece of work will help develop players. A properly presented book will aid the learning of the game.”
Also, the President of Togo Chess Federation and Former Secretary to FIDE, Enyonam Noel Fumey, said, the book is a marvel and he wishes that all Nigerian educational authors will use it as an introduction to the game. He charged the author to ensure that the work is translated into French so that Francophone-speaking countries can also benefit from it.
Similarly, FM Fawole John Oyeyemi, Director of TheJohnFawole Award and Bruvchessmedia said, “Chess books written by Nigerian authors are few. Mr. Oyeleye has given us a book that speaks to the basics of the board game.
In his words, “You have done something great in the chess world. This book should be adopted by schools for their chess learning programmes. With this book, Mr. Oyeleye had moved Chess a step further and it would also become a popular board game in Nigeria.”
Ms. Ayokanmi Ajayi, ex-president of CPAN, thanked the author for his immense contribution to Chess in Nigeria. According to her, “You have pushed forward the frontiers of Chess with the text. This is a proper chess book to educate the Nigerian child, it is affordable and easy to understand.”
Oyeleye Olawale Peter is the author of Levels 1-6 Chess Workbooks powered by Pedachess Educational Services Ltd. He is an Accountant, National Arbiter, Tournament Director, Chess Trainer, Journalist, Public Relation Officer for the Chess Players Association of Nigeria since 2017 till date. He was awarded the Arbiter of the year in 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively, and awarded the Tournament Director of the year 2018.
Oyeleye Olawale Peter is happily married to Caroline Adedoyin and the family reside in Lagos, Nigeria.