Tunde Onakoya unveils Lagos International Chess Festival for 2027

By Anthonia Okonkwo

Nigerian chess master and advocate Tunde Onakoya has unveiled plans for the Lagos International Chess Festival, a new event designed to bring together chess, art and cultural activities in a celebration of the game and Lagos’ rich heritage.

Onakoya announced the initiative on Saturday at the Mikano Motors showroom in Lagos during an event marking his birthday. The festival is scheduled to hold its inaugural edition in October 2027, with organisers hoping to attract players and enthusiasts from Nigeria, other African countries and beyond.

The proposed festival will feature a range of activities aimed at appealing to both professional players and the general public. These include a chess and art exhibition, a children’s tournament, grandmaster matches and a celebrity chess competition.

Other planned attractions include a chess and fashion event and a chess game on a boat, reflecting the organisers’ intention to take the game beyond conventional tournament settings and connect it with different aspects of Lagos’ social and cultural life.

The festival’s logo combines the Eyo masquerade, a prominent cultural symbol associated with Lagos, with the rook, one of the pieces used in chess. The design reflects the initiative’s emphasis on bringing the city’s cultural identity into the world of chess.

Speaking about the project, Onakoya expressed excitement about the initiative while acknowledging some nervousness about turning the idea into reality. The festival is expected to provide a platform for chess enthusiasts to connect while showcasing the game alongside creative and cultural expressions.

Onakoya is the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, an organisation that uses chess to create learning opportunities for children from disadvantaged communities. Through the initiative, he has promoted chess as a tool for education, personal development and social inclusion.

He gained international recognition in April 2024 after undertaking a record-setting chess marathon in New York’s Times Square. The planned Lagos International Chess Festival represents another effort to expand the game’s reach and create opportunities for players and enthusiasts to engage with chess in a broader cultural setting.