Tunde Onakoya is a Nigerian chess master,[1] coach[2] and founder of Chess in Slums Africa.[3][4][5] He has organized a number of interventions for children across slums in Lagos state including Majidun (Ikorodu), Makoko and recently, Oshodi. The children are engaged in a 2 week's session that seeks to unlock their potential through the game of chess while learning to read, write and acquire basic literacy skills.

Background and career

Onakoya learned to play chess at a barber's shop in a slum in Ikorodu, Lagos where he grew up.[6] Being unable to pay for his secondary school, his mother offered to work for a school as a cleaner in exchange for his school fees.[7][8] He would later be ranked as the number 13 chess player in Nigeria.[8]

Onakoya got a diploma in computer science at Yaba College of Technology where he was a gold medalist representing the school in Nigeria Polytechnic Games and also at the RCCG Chess Championship. He has also won the National Friends of Chess and the Chevron Chess Open.[8]

Onakoya was featured in CNN African Voices.[9][10]

Onakoya is a board member of the New York City based non-profit The Gift of Chess. [11]

Chess in Slums Africa

In September 2018,[12] Chess in Slums Africa started as a volunteer driven non-profit organization that aims to empower young ones in impoverished communities through chess.[13][14]

Chess in Slums Africa partnered with Chess.com in September 2020 as an educational tool for classrooms, chess clubs, and parents.[14]

As of June 2021, Chess in Slums Africa had trained over 200 children and got lifelong scholarships for 20 of them.[15]

In May 2021, Ferdinand, a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy won the chess tournament in Makoko.[16][17][18] He later met and competed with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Tunde Onakoya: Launching Stars Through Chess". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  2. ↑ "How chess is changing children's lives". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  3. ↑ He helps Nigerian kids turn chess moves into scholarships - CNN Video, retrieved 2021-12-24
  4. ↑ Aisha Salaudeen and Yvonne Kasera. "Chess coaches in Africa are building the next generation of grandmasters". CNN. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  5. ↑ "How chess became an escape for children living in a Nigerian slum". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  6. ↑ Deinde-Sanya, Oluwadunsin (2021-05-24). "Through "ChessinSlums", Tunde Onakoya is Changing the Lives of Children One Piece at a Time". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  7. ↑ ""My Mum Worked As A Cleaner to Send Me to School" - Onakoya". Nigeria Info FM. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  8. 1 2 3 "Chess Saved My Life — Man Like Tunde Onakoya". Zikoko!. 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  9. ↑ "Two chess masters feature on CNN African Voices". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  10. ↑ African chess players are making moves for their communities - CNN Video, retrieved 2021-12-24
  11. ↑ "The Gift of Chess goes global". www.fide.com. International Chess Federation. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Chess Offers Nigerian Slum Children New Move". Channels Television. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  13. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche, 'Chess in Slums' gets Nigerian kids playing for keeps | DW | 17.09.2021, retrieved 2021-12-24
  14. 1 2 Chess.com (News). "Chess.com Partners With Chess In Slums-Africa". Chess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  15. ↑ "Children In Nigeria's Slum Are Finding Solace Through Chess". HumAngle Media. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  16. ↑ From slum to Chess champion: Meet 10-year-old Chess prodigy from Earth's largest slum, Makoko, retrieved 2021-12-24
  17. ↑ [EXCLUSIVE] The Story Of A Cerebral Palsy Chess Prodigy, Maumo Ferdinard, retrieved 2021-12-24
  18. ↑ Parodi (Alessandro_Parodi), Alessandro. "Nigerian Child With Cerebral Palsy Becomes Chess Superstar". Chess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  19. ↑ "ICYMI: Sanwo-Olu meets boy who turned chess champion despite cerebral palsy". TheCable Lifestyle. 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
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