Tunde Onakoya is the founder of Chess in Slums Africa a non-profit organization aimed at using the noble game of chess to help one million children in slum communities realize their full potential by integrating principles of the game with management of daily challenges in life, enhancing abstract thinking, creativity and innovation. Tunde is also a national chess master, chess champion, and public speaker.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
-How Tunde discovered the “gift of chess”…01:35
-Lessons learned from a father who provided under dire poverty…05:25
-Why losing is more important than winning when learning chess…11:25
-How to come back from massive losses and turn it into improvement…16:30
-How to make learning chess fun for children…23:12
-How to embrace the romance of chess…27:30
-How Tunde’s nonprofit org has recreated his own experience for children…35:30
-How a young boy tormented by his peers because of disabilities revealed himself to be a chess prodigy…46:12
-The biggest challenge facing Tunde’s organization right now…55:00
-How far a $50 donation will go…1:00:40
Resources mentioned
Launching Stars Through Chess video
Stories worth watching CNN feature
My System: 21st Century Edition, by Aron Nimzowitsch
Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games, by Laszlo Polgar