Mr Tunde Onakoya entered into the CPAN Cheveron tournament 2016 as an unrated player , and finished on top boards among many master players with a performance rating of
2340 !! and with an expected initial FIDE rating of 2231 ELO , he defeated the likes of
CM
SORUNGBE ADEMOLA (2246) ,
FM
EKPOIKONG UNWANA EUGENE
(2178) ,
FM
ERHABOR DAVID (2105) among other master players in the course of the event ,This interview seeks to bring out words from this gifted young man that should encourage other upcoming and equally talented Chess players to break into the lime light in the Game of chess in Nigeria.
Player info
| Name | ONAKOYA TUNDE |
| Starting rank | 76 |
| Rating | 0 |
| Rating national | 0 |
| Rating international | 0 |
| Performance rating | 2340 |
| Points | 5 |
| Rank | 8 |
| Federation | NGR |
| Ident-Number | 0 |
| Fide-ID | 8506442 |
Tell us more about your self ? Well,my name is Babatunde Onakoya Daniel ,my friends call me gifted hands *winks*,i am 21years old ,a graduate of the prestigious Yaba college of technology,I have a national diploma in computer science and I am currently working on a personal project which is also chess related.
When did you start playing the game of chess?
-uhmm I started playing chess when I was in JSS 2,chess was taught as a curriculum subject in my school then (yintab private academy)..
Your performance in the last CPAN Chveron Chess classics was very impressive especially playing against top master players and having a very good score 5 how did you feel after the event sheer luck or hard work as an unrated player performing very well against many rated opponents?
well, it is 100% hardwork for me and if people really knew how hard I worked to get my mastery,it wouldn't really seem so wonderful afterall..there was almost no modicum of luck in my games as I ultimately lost the games where I entered loosing positions.it felt really good to get to play against the highly revered Nigerian master players for the very first time in my chess career.
What about your most memorable moments at C4 event 2016??
-my most memorable moment at C4 was my game against former national champion Mr oyeneyin tajudeen where I sacrificed my queen for a mating attack,the international masters oladapo adu and odion aikohje did some post mortem analysis after the game and were amazed at the accuracy of the sacrifice. Another memorable moment was when I played the former highest rated player in Nigeria unwana Eugene popularly known as Eugene the wild because of his attacking style of play.At first I was a little bit nervous and although I had the white pieces,I wasn't too certain about the best way to approach the game being an attacking player myself.I avoided entering tactical positions during the game and once Queens were off board I was able to grind out the win in my very best positional game played till date.
who was your chess idol/mentor?
In Nigeria and also generally?-my chess mentor in Nigeria is the young whiz kid FM Daniel Anwuli and highest rated Nigerian player ever who is also a close friend and former teammate while I was in the yabatech college team,His daring style of play and unwavering confidence inspires me a lot.on the world scene,itz definitely Bobby Fischer.
Other upcoming players would like to know what to do to make a breakthrough against master players like you just did what advise do you have for them?-
uhmmm,overtime I have learned that patience is a very significant virtue if you want to be a master of chess.my chess friends then while I was in yabatech used to call me "thinkometer" coz I used to spend as much as 45mins on making a single move which most times even ends up being a blunder *smiles*but it built me into a very calm and patient player overtime and itz my secret weapon against any opponent whatsoever...so if u ask me,I'll say patience first then a high level of self confidence and putting a lot of hardwork into engine analysis.
How do you prepare for chess tournaments (Choice of opening/
training ETC)?
-I don't particularly prepare for chess tournaments,but I train on a daily basis by playing against stockfish 6 on my Android phone...lol,I wouldn't want to reveal my choice of opening yet as many master players are already keeping tabs on me *smiles*,but I believe e4 is the best opening as white.
Do you solve Chess puzzles in training if yes how has this improved your game?
-yes I do in a daily basis and it has helped sharpen my tactical vision and quick recognition of some peculiar positions and mating patterns.
How often do you practice chess/train?
-I have a lot of chess applications on my Android phone that enables me train whenever I want and I also play a lot of blitz games with my yabatech chess friends.
Do you play chess online?
-yeah,a few times on chess.com when I have stable network.
How many moves can you calculate ahead?
-uhmmm,I'm not so sure I think I can do eight to ten moves ahead maximum if time permits.
How often do you analyze your own games?
-I analyze all my games almost immediately after playing them and I have learned more from my losses than my wins.
W
hat do you feel is the effect of much time dedicated to playing Blitz on a chess player , what percentage of your training time do you dedicate to Blitz?
-Too much blitz is not good and my blitz strength is nothing compared to my classical strength so I don't think too much of it,I only play it for fun.
Do you think Blitz is in anyway harmful to improvement in Chess?
-I believe blitz is just for fun and it's the catchy part of the game of chess to the general public.Blitz strength doesn't directly relate to one's classical playing strength but it's good sport to play blitz once in a while as it helps sharpen one's speed of analysis..playing too much blitz is very harmful to one's chess development as it causes reflexive tendencies to make hasty moves.
What kind of chess books do you read ( any favourite book )?
-I have only ever read two chess books,"step by step chess by Irving chernev and "my 60 memorable games by Bobby Fischer.
What gave you the edge over other unrated players in the tournament (C4)?
-Patience,calmness and ultimately the grace of God.
What do you suggest to other unrated players who wish to make the kind of impression you made at C4 )2016) training… approach etc-
well I would say,it is one thing to have a winning position and it is another thing to eventually see out the win to the very end.I used to think achieving a winning position against a stronger opponent is sufficient, then I realized that actually seeing it through to the very end is the hardest part of the game.so I always approach every stage of the game(opening, middle and end game) as a new phase entirely even when I'm winning the position.sometimes I stand up and take a walk to clear my head and then come back to the next facet of the game,it refreshes my mind and helps me avoid blunders..A word of advice," no guts no glory,believe in yourself,fear no one and you will definitely be the best you can be on the 64squares..
So far we do not have any report of computer cheating in Nigerian chess, do you think players do this and what are your suggestions to prevent this in our sport?
-I don't think Nigerian players cheat and if any cheating report ever surfaces,the culprit should be banned from participating in tournaments for a duration of years.
When paired against a strong master player like FM Bomo or any other known master player , what goes on in your head and how do you approach the game?
-although I have a very high level of respect for the master players especially FM kighigha bomo,I simply go out there to play my game like every other game.
What is your expected Initial FIDE rating when C4 tournament gets FIDE Sanctioned (rated) ?-2231 which qualifies me for a candidate master title i suppose.
What is your favourite leisure activities, aside chess?
-playing musical instruments (piano majorly),watching football,having a nice time with friends,surfing the internet and reading novels
The Nigerian Chess federation has selected the top five players in Nigeria on the FIDE rating list to represent Nigeria at the next olympiads , what do you think about this method of selection,is Nigeria ripe for this?-of course, it takes a lot of work to be at the top so it is only normal for the top players to be selected. I also believe Nigeria has a strong field of amazing players and even if anyone is randomly picked from the top 50 according to the FIDE rating list,they will still make us incredibly proud at the Olympiads.. I wish the selected few all the best
What next from here?
-A lot of opportunities are already opening up for me in the chess world and I hope to maximize it while it lasts,probably get the right sponsorship,a manager and keenly pursue my dream to become the first Grandmaster in Nigeria...
Special thanks to the organizers of the tourney,Mr ogunsiku babatunde, Barrister TUNDE Onakoya, Daniel Anwuli,Julius Nwachukwu, Jimmy ogunlana,dejavu,otaru Benjamin and a couple of other's that supported and encouraged me during and after the tournament... Gens Una sumus
Thank you very much - CM Akinov.
