Nigerian Chess Action, “Battle of the Ages”

Nigeria is hosting a “Battle of the Ages” on June 11th between global chess activist Tunde Onakoya and teen phenom Deborah Quickpen. Onakoya recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records by playing chess for 60 hours in Times Square. While setting a mark for the records, Onakoya is most known for promoting chess in Nigeria’s slums. He has spread this movement to several countries and has teamed with The Gift of Chess to donate chess to thousands of African children.

Tunde Onakoya in Times Square setting a Guinness record!
Photo by Yuki Iwamura/AP

In Kenya with representatives from “The Gift of Chess” affiliate.
Photo by The Gift of Chess

While Quickpen is known by her moniker, “Debby Quick,” her name is not because she is a blitz specialist. She became the national champion at age 11 and immediately had African social media buzzing. During the 2024 African Individual Championships, she placed just out of the medals with 6/9 and added 39 Elo points. She is currently 2048 FIDE. It will be a good test for her, and Onakoya (2165 FIDE) will be in good form.

Deborah Quickpen

Photos by Babtunde Ogunsiku

? Excitement is in the air as we gear up for the #BattleofTheAges! ? Check out these picture highlights from the pre-match games. Don't miss @Tunde_OD and Deborah Quickpen in action on June 11th, 2024! ??? #BattleOfTheAges #EpicShowdown pic.twitter.com/bAckAfJU8E

— Ogunsiku Babatunde (@thims1985) June 7, 2024