Opu Bonnie

Nigeria

I am Opu Bonnie from Nigeria. A Mechanical Engineer by profession. I was taught the game of Chess at nine years of age by my French lesson teacher.

My interest in the game picked up when I was nineteen (19) and I met a National Master in a tourney I attended. He became my friend and coach and helped me attain Master level strength. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I connected online to the Smiling Pawn group and benefited a lot from the community. I was joint second in the tournament organized by Coach Goran for Smiling Pawn and was gifted an annual subscription to the Fide Online Arena, where I attained the title of Arena Fide Master and the certificate was paid for by Smiling Pawn. Thanks a million Smiling Pawn.

My chess journey continued with me becoming the Smiling Pawn Candidates 2023 Winner and the World Champion Challenger.