- By Halimah Olamide
Chess World Record breaker, Tunde Onokoya’s father has revealed that he initially disapproved of his son’s interest in chess.
He stated this during an interview at Lagos International Airport, while welcoming Tunde home as a Guinness World Record winner.
Tunde Onakoya’s father acknowledged to disturbing his chess games as a youngster in order to prioritise schooling, unaware that this passion would later earn his son international recognition.
As a small child, when Tunde was playing chess, I usually packed everything away from him because I wanted him to focus on school. I didn’t know that it was what would made him popular like this” he said.
He fondly referred to Tunde as “an angel” who excels in whatever he sets his mind to.
“To me, Babatunde Onakoya is an angel because whatever he set his mind on you must succeed” he added.
With a newfound appreciation for the importance of nurturing one’s passions, Tunde’s father offered words of wisdom to fellow parents, he advised them not to discourage their children from their passion
“My advice for parents is that they shouldn’t discourage their children from their passions. I wanted Tunde to be a doctor but I didn’t know that chess would make him popular like this. I thank God” he concluded.
Recall that the chess coach set new world record for longest chess marathon at Times Square in New York City. surpassing the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes set by Norwegian players.