Nigerian chess advocate Tunde Onakoya has unveiled the Lagos International Chess Festival, a new event scheduled for October 2027 that will combine competitive chess with art, fashion, entertainment and cultural experiences.
Onakoya announced the festival on Saturday, October 10, at the Mikano Motors showroom in Lagos during his birthday celebration. The initiative aims to attract international players, celebrities, artists and chess enthusiasts while creating more opportunities for African players to compete and connect with the global chess community.
The proposed programme includes a chess and art exhibition, a large-scale children’s tournament, grandmaster contests and a celebrity chess competition. Organisers also plan to incorporate fashion and entertainment into the festival, with a celebration of Lagos forming part of the proposed activities.
Another idea under consideration is hosting a chess match on a boat, drawing inspiration from Lagos’s waterways and the city’s distinctive character.
The festival’s visual identity also reflects this connection to Lagos. Its logo combines the Eyo masquerade, a recognised cultural symbol of the city, with the shape of a rook, one of the principal pieces in chess. The colours were selected to reflect the city’s vibrancy.
Speaking at the unveiling, Onakoya described the launch as the beginning of a larger project, expressing excitement and some uncertainty about developing the first edition.
“Chess has given me a way to find my place in the world, and I want to share that. It is a beautiful game, and it has the power to bring people together,” he said.
Onakoya said the festival would seek to make chess accessible to people who might not ordinarily attend formal tournaments. Beyond competition, the initiative is intended to create opportunities for social connection and introduce the game to wider audiences.
The event also reflects an ambition to give African chess players greater international visibility. By bringing local and international competitors together, the organisers hope to strengthen connections between players on the continent and the wider chess community.
With its inaugural edition planned for October 2027, the Lagos International Chess Festival is being developed as an event that extends beyond traditional chess competition. Its proposed mix of sport, culture and entertainment will be central to whether it can attract the international participation Onakoya envisions.
