Genius boy defeats many in chess game to win trophy despite having cerebral palsy
- A Nigerian man, Tunde Onakoya, has put smiles on the faces of slum kids in Makoko and made a chess champion out of one of them
- Before Ferdinard was introduced to the game, his friends used to mock him for having cerebral palsy and his prospect seemed dim
- Not only did he learn fast, but the young boy's great capacity at solving complex game also astounded his tutor
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The founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has shared an emotional story of a Nigerian child, Ferdinard, who became a chess champion despite having cerebral palsy.
In April, the chess instructor said that his team met him and introduced the young boy to the game. He said a few minutes afterwards, the young boy outperformed everyone.
Source: UGC
Tunde disclosed that he soon discovered the boy was a master chess player after he was able to solve a complex knight move.
His team visited the young boy’s family and discovered they barely had enough to survive on. The tutor added that though he had never heard him say anything in the English language, he uttered “champion” as he held his trophy.
The team was also able to cloth the boy and other kids who were tutored in the game. Many Nigerians have praised the effort that went into the initiative.
See his tweets below:
Legit.ng compiled some of the reactions below:
@bukky_makinde said:
"You are the miracle Tunde. For believing so much in him. THANK YOU."
@Ade_authority said:
"They look so good in the outfits. They look so much full of dreams. I really don't know the right words to say but I pray God brings in greater opportunities for @chessinslums so they can operate in bigger capacity."
@Yobomix said:
"God bless you sir! This just made my day! I'm fired up, ready to make a difference in this life. Thank you for this, God bless you for the sacrifice."
@favescrispy said:
"This has to be the most beautiful thing I've seen and I promise that I won't cryytyy, it's how you intentionally and unintentionally put in so much work in making people's(most especially children) lives better."
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that a young Nigerian boy, Tani Adewumi, whose story as a homeless chess player once made waves years ago made even greater strides.
An American journalist, Nicholas Kristof, on Sunday, May 2, revealed that the boy, now 10 years old, won a championship and became a master chess player at his very young age.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
