John Oyeyemi Fawole

John Oyeyemi Fawole
Personal information
Born4 March 1985 (1985-03-04) (age 41)
Ile-Ife, Osun State
Chess career
CountryNigeria
TitleFIDE Master (2016)
Peak rating2214 (August 2014)

John Oyeyemi Fawole Listenⓘ (born 4 March 1985, in Ile-Ife, Osun State) is a Nigerian chess player. He won the Nigerian Chess Championship in 2013[1] and has a FIDE (World Chess Federation) peak rating of 2214.[2] He held the title of Nigeria National Chess Champion Junior and Open in 2003 and 2013 respectively.[1] Fawole is a FIDE Certified Chess in Education Lecturer, FIDE Instructor, US National Master and US District Coach.[3][4]

In 1998, he learned how to play chess and participated in his first chess tournament in 1999. In 2002, he won the Open II category of the NBL Chess Championship in Lagos. The following year, he became the National Junior Chess Champion by winning the Agusto & Co Under‑20 Chess Championship. Following his achievement in 2003, he started playing in the Masters Category, the highest level in Nigerian chess.[5] Fawole is Nigeria's 11th Junior Chess Champion and Nigeria's 36th National Chess Champion.[1]

Fawole is the founder of BruvsChess Media, a platform dedicated to promoting chess news and activities across Africa and beyond.[6] He later helped to establish BruvsChess Educational Services (also known as BruvsChess Academy), which provides chess education programmes for schools, students and families in Abuja and in several Nigerian states.[7][8] In 2017, he helped introduce chess to children at an Internally Displaced People's (IDP) Camp in Gwarinpa, Abuja, in partnership with a local non‑governmental organisation.[5]

Fawole has worked as a chess coach and trainer in Nigeria and abroad, including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, and has coached in both school and club environments.[4] He has represented Nigeria in international competitions and has played in open tournaments in Africa, Europe and North America.[4]

In 2025, Fawole founded the Albany Chess Center, a chess instruction and events venue in Albany, New York, which offers classes, tournaments and community programmes for players of all ages.[9][10] Local coverage has described the centre as a hub for chess in New York's Capital Region.[9]

Fawole is the convenor of the annual John Fawole Chess Awards, also known as the Nigeria Chess Awards, established in 2016 to recognise outstanding achievements in Nigerian chess.[11][12]

[13] [14] [15] [16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fawole Wins 36th Nigerian Breweries International Open Chess Championship – NBPLC NEWS". NBPLC News. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Fawole, John Oyeyemi". FIDE. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "US Chess MSA – Member Details (General)". US Chess. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "FM John Oyeyemi Fawole coaches chess students". Lichess.org. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Oyo State Gladiators!". Oyo State Gladiators. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "About Us – BruvsChess Media". BruvsChess Media. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "BruvsChess Educational Services". BruvsChess Educational Services. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Grandmasters and many titled players are now SMEs in chess education". BruvsChess Media. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Albany Chess Center founder aims to make game more accessible". Times Union. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Albany Chess Center – Chess Lessons & Coaching in Albany". Albany Chess Center. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "John Fawole Chess Awards 2020: Full list of winners". FIDE. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "The John Fawole Chess Awards 2024: Nigeria's chess community honours its finest". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Fawole Wins 36th Nigerian Breweries International Open Chess Championship – NBPLC NEWS". NBPLC News. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Fawole, John Oyeyemi FIDE Chess Profile – Players Arbiters Trainers". ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Cephas, Omaku (7 April 2014). "Chess: NCF Invites 50 Players for Chess Olympiad Trials". Information Nigeria. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Gibraltar 06: Ivanchuk leads solo". ChessBase. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
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