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IM Odion Aikhoje is said to be one of the most colorful players in Nigeria. Known as an ardent blitz player, Aikhoje has great tactical vision, and as Mark Rubery once put it, "the non-stop patter of the young Cassius Clay." Aikhoje scored a respectable 6˝-4˝ 1999 British Championships, but his crown achievement was his gold medal on board #2 at the 1998 Chess Olympiad in Elista, Russia.
Since winning the gold medal, Aikhoje has played sparingly in international tournaments. What's worse is that he was embroiled in a bitter fight to claim his gold medal after an official took position of it and refused to relinquish it due to a row with the Sports Ministry. Some say that this hurt the confidence of the popular Nigeria, but in the 2003 All-Africa Games in Nigeria he showed good form against Egyptian star, Ahmed Adly.
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