The
Grandmasters

Chess in Slums Africa is a nonprofit organisation founded by Tunde Onakoya in Ikorodu, Lagos. For nearly a decade, CISA has used chess to build educational pathways for children in underserved communities across Nigeria. The game pairs with scholarships, mentorship, and training in STEM and digital literacy, to help young people build lives beyond their circumstances.

Recently, Tunde and the CISA team were invited by the Children Living with Cancer Foundation to visit the oncology ward at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, to meet children living with various forms of cancer and hear their stories. What he found was a ward full of kids being cared for by dedicated organisations, but held back by gaps in funding so severe that many cannot access basic medical provisions, including the central lines needed to safeguard their quality of life. It is uncertain whether some of these children will survive the year.

Tunde shared what he saw with Anthony, who was moved in a way that felt personal, as he was born in that very same ward at LUTH. Together, they decided to act.

Anthony has teamed up with Chess in Slums Africa to create two new chess-inspired works, The Grandmasters. 100 physical and 100 digital editions of each are available now, at $100 a piece. The goal is to raise $15,000 (approximately ₦20,000,000) to procure vital medical equipment like central lines for the children, sponsor their ongoing education, and help relieve some of the debt their families have taken on managing these conditions.

The sale is now live.