Sackie Staged Astonishing Comeback to Retain Women's Chess Championship Crown

Monrovia, Liberia: Liberia’s sensational female chess player Georgina Sackie has once more demonstrated prowess in the delayed 2024 Liberia Chess Federation Women's Championship, coming from a 3-0 score against her counterpart, Abigail Karyah, to ultimately retain her championship in the competition.

The defending champion, Georgina Sackie, began the delayed 2024 Liberia Chess Federation Women's Championship best-out-of-eight final on a poor note, losing three straight matches to her title contender, Abigail Karyah, but pushed harder to level the score at 3-3 in round 6 of the finals, leaving room for further battles.

However, the last two deciding matches in the final witnessed both Georgina and Abigail picking separate wins and holding the score at 4-4, which extended the finals to a tie-break clash to determine the champion.

The finals tie-break on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Liberia Chess Federation Headquarters in Monrovia, featured 4 rapid games (15 mins + 10 secs) and 2 rapid games (10 mins + 5 secs), a stage at which Georgina Sackie overshadowed three-time champion Abigail Karyah overall to clinch the title for the second time in a row.

The championship win has also cemented a space for the lad to represent Liberia once more as one of the national chess team players in the upcoming 46th International Chess Olympiad.

Speaking to sports journalists after retaining her championship, the renowned Liberian chess player Georgina Sackie said the comeback victory against her fierce rival and runner-up Abigail Karyah came on the heels of self-motivation after tasting a win in round 4 of the finals.

She revealed that the moment of overcoming the deficit against an experienced player, Karyah, means a lot to strive for championships in Liberia.

When quizzed about her expectations for international titles, Georgina noted that she is focused on competing, but the international race is higher than her current rating.

The Liberia Women's Chess Champion said, "Firstly, I want to say I am really proud of myself. Actually, I did not know that I was going to come back. And I even wanted to resign and not play again. But I kept my motivation from my family and came back stronger."

"I did not start playing chess for a long time, and so retaining my championship against someone who has been playing for a long time is a good one for me. So, going out there, there are many chess players, grandmasters, so resenting Liberia, I will do my best. If I can win it, I will win it."

The reigning champion, Sackie, began her professional chess career in 2021, winning her first silverware in 2023 before adding another one to her honors in the delayed 2024 National Chess Championship.