The Nigeria School Sports Federation has announced that no fewer than 10,000 students across the country will jostle for trophies in the first Board Championship.

The Federation’s President, Olabisi Joseph, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

The NSSF president said board games helped players to improve their mental alertness, think critically and plan.

Board games are sports that involve counters or pieces moved or placed on pre-marked surfaces such as monopoly, draft, scrabble, and chess.

State finals kick off from March 22 to March 26; regional trials start from April 1 to April 3, while the finals kick off from April 18 to April 23.

“We need to engage these students, and I understand that not everyone will be interested in football or track and field and basketball.

“Take, for instance, scrabble. It helps you build your vocabulary and also think critically so that you can attract more points.

“So, when they apply all these skills, it makes them well-grounded as adults.

“These and more are some of the reasons we decided that these championships will hold and help us develop talents,” she said.

The NSSF president also reiterated the federation’s commitment to capacity-building, saying training sports administrators across the country will be quarterly.