Tunde Onakoya Explained

Country:Nigeria
Birth Date:1994 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Ikorodu, Nigeria
Peakrating:2197 (July 2016)
Fideid:8506442

Tunde Onakoya (born 6 October 1994) is a Nigerian chess player and coach, who holds the Guinness World Records for the longest marathon chess game.[1] [2] [3] [4] As the founder and covener of Chess in Slums Africa,[5] [6] he has organised a number of interventions for children across slums in Lagos state including Majidun (Ikorodu), Makoko and recently, Oshodi.

Background and career

Onakoya learned to play chess at a barber's shop in a slum in Ikorodu, Lagos, where he grew up.[7] 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.[8] [9] He would later be ranked as the number 13 chess player in Nigeria.

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.

Onakoya was featured in CNN African Voices.[10]

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

On 20 April 2024, Onakoya broke the world chess marathon record in New York, United States. He played for over 60 consecutive hours.[12]

Chess in Slums Africa

In September 2018,[13] Chess in Slums Africa started as a volunteer driven non-profit organization that aims to empower young ones in impoverished communities through chess.[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] He later met and competed with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State.[17]

Guinness World Record

The chess marathon was held in Times Square, New York City, United States. He began with the goal of surpassing the previous world record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds, set by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018. Onakoya's initial target was to play for 58 hours, but he pushed the boundaries even further, extending the marathon to a full 60 hours.[18] [19] [20] [21]

A Mission Beyond Chess

Onakoya's endeavor was not solely for the purpose of breaking records; it was a mission with a profound cause. He aimed to raise US$1 million for the education of children in Africa, particularly those without access to quality education.[22] [23] While he was trying to set a new record, he got support from Nigerian community in New York, former vice president of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo, along with Kashim Shettima, including appearances by Afrobeats stars like Davido and Adekunle Gold.[24] [25] [26] [27]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: O'Neill . Natalie . 2024-04-19 . Nigerian chess whiz stays up more than 50 hours playing in Times Square to break world record . 2024-04-20 . en-US.
  2. Web site: Admin 2 . 2024-04-20 . JUST IN: Tunde Onakoya breaks world record for longest chess marathon . 2024-04-20 . Champion Newspapers LTD . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2021-06-27. Tunde Onakoya: Launching Stars Through Chess. 2021-12-24. The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. en-US.
  4. News: How chess is changing children's lives. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-12-24.
  5. Web site: Aisha Salaudeen and Yvonne Kasera. Chess coaches in Africa are building the next generation of grandmasters. 2021-12-24. CNN.
  6. Web site: How chess became an escape for children living in a Nigerian slum. 2021-12-24. Olympics.com.
  7. Web site: Deinde-Sanya. Oluwadunsin. 2021-05-24. Through "ChessinSlums", Tunde Onakoya is Changing the Lives of Children One Piece at a Time. 2021-12-24. BellaNaija. en-US.
  8. Web site: "My Mum Worked As A Cleaner to Send Me to School" - Onakoya. 2021-12-24. Nigeria Info FM. en.
  9. Web site: 2021-09-26. Chess Saved My Life — Man Like Tunde Onakoya. 2021-12-24. Zikoko!. en-US.
  10. Web site: 2021-08-20. Two chess masters feature on CNN African Voices. 2021-12-24. The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. en-US.
  11. Web site: The Gift of Chess goes global . www.fide.com . International Chess Federation . 1 May 2022 . en.
  12. News: Aradi . Gloria . Howard . Jacqueline . Tunde Onakoya: Nigerian breaks chess marathon record . 20 April 2024 . BBC News . 20 April 2024.
  13. Web site: Chess Offers Nigerian Slum Children New Move. 2021-12-24. Channels Television.
  14. Web site: Chess.com (News). Chess.com Partners With Chess In Slums-Africa. 2021-12-24. Chess.com. en-US.
  15. Web site: 2021-12-16. Children In Nigeria's Slum Are Finding Solace Through Chess. 2021-12-24. HumAngle Media. en-US.
  16. Web site: Parodi (Alessandro_Parodi). Alessandro. Nigerian Child With Cerebral Palsy Becomes Chess Superstar. 2021-12-24. Chess.com. en-US.
  17. Web site: 2021-06-17. ICYMI: Sanwo-Olu meets boy who turned chess champion despite cerebral palsy. 2021-12-24. TheCable Lifestyle. en-US.
  18. Web site: Okechukwu . Rejoice . 2024-04-20 . Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, breaks GWR’s longest chess marathon . 2024-04-20 . Peoples Gazette Nigeria . en-US.
  19. Web site: 2024-04-19 . Nigerian Chess Master Tunde Onakoya Shows Resilience in Times Square Marathon . 2024-04-20 . Nigerian Bulletin . en-US.
  20. News: Gloria Aradi & Jacqueline Howard . 2024-04-19 . Tunde Onakoya: Nigerian breaks chess marathon record . 2024-04-20 . BBC . en-GB.
  21. Web site: Browning . Oliver . 2024-04-20 . Nigerian chess champion plays for marathon 58 hours to break record in Times Square . 2024-04-20 . Yahoo News . en-AU.
  22. Web site: Presse . AFP-Agence France . Nigerian Tunde Onakoya Breaks Record For Longest Chess Marathon . 2024-04-20 . www.barrons.com . en-US.
  23. Web site: Chess champion plays for marathon 58 hours to break record - and raise cash for child education . 2024-04-20 . Sky News . en.
  24. News: MINCHILLO . CHINEU ASADU and JOHN . A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours — a new global chess record . 2024-04-20 . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . English . 1539-7459.
  25. Web site: Onuh . Chioma . 2024-04-17 . Osinbajo backs Onakoya's 58-hour chess marathon Guinness World Record attempt . 2024-04-20 . Businessday NG . en-US.
  26. Web site: Itodo . Sunny Green . 2024-04-19 . Guinness World Record: Davido drums support for Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya . 2024-04-20 . Daily Post Nigeria . en-US.
  27. Web site: Omidiji . Rachael . 2024-04-19 . GWR: Davido, Adekunle Gold, other celebrities support Tunde Onakoya in New York . 2024-04-20 . Tribune Online . en-GB.

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