Watch The Most Talented Chess Players From The African Diaspora In The NextGen Cup
We're excited to announce our newest event, the NextGen Cup! The $20,000 event will take place on February 6 and feature 10 of the African diaspora's most prominent players and personalities.
Among the confirmed players, fans will see boy-wonder FM Tani Adewumi. The young prodigy made headlines in 2021 after becoming the U.S.A.'s youngest master at 10, just three years after his family fled Nigeria.
Another familiar face among the chess crowd is joining the event, FM James Canty. The streamer and Jedi master of chess will be putting his tactics to the test against a strong lineup of other masters.
Adding to the list of well-known players joining the field comes the Nigerian national master and philanthropist Tunde Onakoya. Tunde is the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, a non-profit organization that uses chess as a tool to help marginalized children. In 2024, Tunde caught major media attention after breaking the record for the longest chess marathon, playing chess for 60 hours straight.
Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya beat the world record for the longest continuous play of chess, after playing for 58 hours. He hopes to raise one million dollars to donate to children's chess education. pic.twitter.com/Uh2ItmBIS7
— DW News (@dwnews) April 20, 2024
Other confirmed players include GM Kenny Soloman, IMs Justus Williams, Orlando Husbands, and Watu Kobese, FM Joshua Colas, and NMs Tersee Ferdinand and Goodness Odey Ekunke.
The event will be a round-robin, where each player plays one game against every other participant. All games will be in the 10+2 time control.
The NextGen Cup will be broadcast live on Chess.com's Twitch and YouTube channels. Legendary GM Maurice Ashley will provide expert commentary and insight alongside Chess.com's IM Kassa Korley. Fans can also expect to see a host of very special guests joining the show.
Who do you think will win the NextGen Cup? Let us know in the comments below!
