Chess Champion Sparks a Movement: Nigerian Youth Find Purpose on the Board

Despite his exhaustion, Tunde Onakoya’s eyes sparkled as he reached the 60-hour milestone, breaking the world record for the longest marathon chess game. Dressed in a jacket, scarf, and hat, the 29-year-old Nigerian faced off against American chess champion Shawn Martinez in New York’s Times Square in April. This effort was part of a fundraising initiative for his Chess in Slums project, which supports children throughout Africa.

In New York, a crowd of enthusiasts and media surrounded Onakoya, capturing the moment with camera clicks and cheers, while back in Nigeria, also President Bola Tinubu cheered him on online.

President Tinubu posted on social media as the record was broken, “I celebrate this chess champion for his rare achievement, especially for the reason behind it, which is raising funds for African children to learn and find opportunities through chess.”

The president further stated, “My administration is strongly committed to creating and expanding opportunities for the youth to explore and develop their abilities.”

Despite this, in small chess clubs and schools in low-income areas of Lagos, Nigeria’s main city, players note that there is little state support, even though Onakoya has rekindled passion for the game.

In Ojodu Berger, a busy and densely populated district bordering Lagos and Ogun State, Mohammed Azeez uses rented chairs and makeshift tables in his parents’ house to teach children and teenagers how to play chess. At least a dozen children come around in the evenings and on weekends for extracurricular lessons, all registered under his nonprofit Milverton Chess Academy. He accepts donations from parents but has kept the academy free to attend since its informal start in 2004.

“The first person I taught to play chess is now in the UK. He was a friend, and I taught him. We figured out how to checkmate with a king or a rook on our own, without anyone teaching us,” Azeez shared.

Azeez, 40, began playing chess over two decades ago while attending the University of Ado-Ekiti. “A friend took me to a chess club at the school, and I ended up defeating many good players there. After that day, the chess coaches would call me to read new chess books whenever they got them,” he recalled.