I Didn’t Find Chess, Chess Found Me!

I learned how to play chess the first day I saw a live chessboard. That was also my first time seeing a chess piece live.

image by @abdul01 edited with Canva

I developed a very coherent love for chess through a Nigerian young man called Tunde Onakayo. Tunde is the founder of CHESS IN SLUMS AFRICA. He uses chess as a medium of education to restore hope and a chance for a better livelihood for underprivileged children in the Nigerian slums.

Chess is a complex game. The fact that there are about 6 different pieces on the board and each had a unique movement and way of capturing, even makes it more unique. Chess is not even common here or should I say accessible. Where I come from, only the elites and privileged folks have seen a live chessboard, and talk less about knowing how to play chess.

I played my first chess game last Saturday at a games night even in Tamale. That same night, I learned everything about chess in less than 20 minutes. I went on and played my first game with my coach and as expected, I was checked mate in less than 10 minutes. During my first game, I learned a big lesson about the difference between learning chess and playing chess. I corrected some mistakes and surprisingly our next game ended in a draw.

Then I met Mariam. Mariam learned to play chess when she was in basic school. The last time Mariam played chess was in an inter-school chess tournament and unfortunately, she lost with no position. Chess is not a tournament you win when you are good, it’s a tournament you only win when you’re the best.

I played with Mariam and our first game ended with yet another draw. We went on and played two more games and I won all. Everyone was surprised at how fast I’ve become better with my pieces' movements and positioning and even more fascinated with how deep I was able to calculate my opponent’s moves. Even I was surprised at how quickly I learned that night. Even though I learn almost all the time, my learning pace has always been slow and I’m aware of that.

After playing with Mariam, everyone was convinced that I was now a chess player. Other people who were interested in chess reached out to me and requested that I teach them.

I started with my friend @mohammed5. I taught him the basics of chess. How to first of all place a chessboard in front of you before you set the pieces, how to rightfully place the pieces on the board, how to move pieces and how to capture opponents pieces and all the other rules of chess.

Then i realized that I even got much better whilst teaching others. So I decided to teach more people. The next person I taught was Salim. Salim was a very fast learner. He learned the basics so quickly and was even able to play with me. Even though he lost to me, his understanding of the game was very impressive and I’m very confident that he’ll become better if he keeps practicing. Coincidentally, I met Salim at my new job yesterday. He’s an accountant at my new job and he has been here for three years. It was a very pleasant surprise and we’re definitely going to get a chessboard here, lol.

After the night, I downloaded chess on my phone and I’ve been playing online. As of now, I’ve moved from playing simple to normal. I’m yet to lose a game and I’m even considering upgrading to a higher difficulty. I know there’s still much more to learn about chess. I’m just excited about the fact that I can now play chess and I have a great opportunity to improve. I’ll like to think that I don’t always play to win, but most time to learn.

I believe chess has unlocked great potential in me. I love the critical thinking of trying to predict your opponent’s moves and trying to lure them in with your tricks. But what I enjoy really more is teaching others about chess.