Chess player and founder of Chess in Slums Africa Tunde Onakoya has received the Lideramos Youth Award for Social Impact in Barcelona, Spain.
Mr Onakoya shared the development on his X account on Monday, alongside a video of the award presentation.
“Deeply honored to be recognized in Barcelona, Spain, as the first African to receive the Lideramos Youth Award for Social Impact,” he wrote.
In the video, he said it was his first visit to Barcelona and expressed appreciation for the recognition.
“I feel very deeply honoured to be here today. It’s my first time in Barcelona… so I’m really happy to be here,” he said.
Onakoya spoke about his background and how chess shaped his path. He said he grew up in Lagos and discovered his ability to play chess at a young age.
“I’m a dreamer… I had a gift to be able to play chess really well… but I thought this gift doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
He explained that he later decided to use chess to support children from underserved communities.
“Some 10 years ago, I decided to share this gift of chess with all the children like me… and in doing that, my life has changed,” he said.
According to him, the initiative has supported children with access to education and opportunities abroad.
“We’ve been able to help thousands of children using the simple gift of chess as a tool to help them get access to education… and to help them find their place in the world,” he added.
He encouraged people to use their skills to make impact.
“Doing what we can and believing that the small gift that we have… we can truly change the world,” he said.
In 2025, Onakoya gained global attention after setting a record for the longest chess marathon at Times Square in New York City, where he played for 60 hours.
The event was aimed at raising funds for education programmes in Africa.
Tunde Onakoya’s organisation, Chess in Slums Africa, uses chess to support children with learning and life skills.
