Onakoya played against Shawn Martinez, a U.S. chess champion.
Onakoya’s matches against U.S. chess champion Shawn Martinez drew celebrities Adekunle Gold and Davido, Nigerian superstar musicians, and praise from Nigerian political figures like President Bola Tinubu. Tinubu congratulated Onakoya on his feat via social media.
I congratulate Tunde Onakoya @Tunde_OD on setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria’s resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.I celebrate this Nigerian Chess Champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa for his rare feat,… pic.twitter.com/VCwJx1RILV— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) April 20, 2024
“I celebrate this Nigerian Chess Champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa for his rare feat, but especially for the reason driving this compelling demonstration of character, which is raising funds for African children to learn and find opportunity through chess.”
Tinubu also praised Onakoya for “setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria’s resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.” In Nigeria, the match commanded significant attention, it was broadcast in several locations in Lagos, the capital city, and featured watch parties as well as digital billboards.
As Al-Jazeera reports, Onakoya was overcome with emotion following his and Martinez’s accomplishment. He told the AFP news agency, “I can’t process a lot of the emotions I feel right now. I don’t have the right words for them. But I know we did something truly remarkable.” Onayoka added, “[At] 3am last night, that was the moment I was ready to just give it all up… but Nigerians traveled from all over the world. And they were with me overnight. We were singing together and they were dancing together and I couldn’t just give up on them.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
