16/05/2026
In 2022, a simple gift changed our story forever.
Chess4Champs Academy began after receiving just 50 chess boards from The Gift of Chess through Chess in Slums Africa. What looked like a small donation became the foundation of a movement that is now transforming young lives through chess education in Nigeria.
At the time, many of the schools we visited had never experienced structured chess education. Critical thinking, strategic learning, and competitive chess opportunities were largely unavailable to the students. But those 50 boards opened doors.
We did not stop at distributing chess boards. We built active chess clubs in schools, introduced structured training programs, organized tournaments, and created safe environments where children could learn confidence, patience, discipline, and problem-solving through chess.
Three years later, the impact has grown beyond what we imagined. With those same 50 boards, Chess4Champs Academy has now impacted over 4,000 students across multiple schools. Today, we actively coach more than 700 students weekly through our school chess club programs.
Our vision is bold but achievable: to integrate chess education into 100 schools by 2030. We are currently active in 30 schools, and our immediate goal is to reach 20 more schools before the end of this year.
The Gift of Chess did not just donate chess boards to us in 2022. You planted seeds of transformation, purpose, and hope that are still growing today.
And this is only the beginning.
