Tunde Onakoya, Nigerian chess player and coach, has been named in the WR Chess team for the 2026 World Team Rapid and Blitz Championship scheduled to hold in Hong Kong. The selection places him in a high-profile international chess competition featuring some of the sport’s leading figures.
The tournament will take place in Hong Kong from June 16 to 22, 2026, bringing together elite chess teams from around the world to compete in rapid and blitz formats. Onakoya will represent WR Chess alongside top-ranked grandmasters and established international players in a mixed-team structure.
In a post shared on Monday via his X account, Onakoya announced his inclusion and expressed excitement about the opportunity to compete at the event.
He wrote, “Proud to announce that I’ll be representing the @wr_chess team at the World Team Rapid and Blitz Championship in Hong Kong in June. I’ll be playing alongside my personal legends @vishy64theking @akanemsko488 @WadimRosenstein and some of the top players in the world.”
The WR Chess team is regarded as one of the strongest lineups in the competition, featuring a mix of world-class grandmasters and experienced players across different categories in the sport.
Onakoya, who is also the founder and convener of Chess in Slums Africa, has gained recognition for using chess as a tool for social development. His initiative has reached children in underserved communities across Lagos, including Makoko, Majidun in Ikorodu, and Oshodi, combining grassroots impact with growing participation on the global chess stage.
Ademide Adebayo
