Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, breaks Guinness World Record for longest chess marathon. Tunde Onakoya, a chess master hailing from Nigeria, accomplished an incredible feat by setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted chess marathon on Saturday.
Taking to his official X account, he shared the exciting news with his followers, expressing his determination to extend the record to 60 hours while highlighting the charitable cause driving his effort – raising funds for the education of underprivileged African children worldwide.
Exceeding the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes held by Norwegian players, Tunde’s marathon unfolded at the iconic Times Square in New York City.
Teaming up with his US counterpart Shawn Martinez, both national masters, Tunde aimed not only to break a record but also to shine a spotlight on the importance of providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged children across Africa.
After 23 hours of play, Martinez joined Tunde, and together they continued their mission, receiving support from notable figures including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and musicians Davido and Adekunle Gold.
Through their perseverance and the backing of supporters, Tunde and Shawn demonstrated the strength of unity and compassion in creating a positive impact on the world.
Post and video below
Omg! you did it champ @Tunde_OD pic.twitter.com/CJup7W6569
— Moe (@Mochievous) April 20, 2024
The moment Tunde Onakoya clocked the 58th hour The current record stands at 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds, achieved by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebo and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018. Tunde is aiming to surpass this record by at least 2 hours. But this isn’t just about breaking records; it’s about shining a global spotlight on Tunde’s impactful work with Chess in Slums Africa (@chessinslums) and raising $1 million to expand access to chess education for millions of children worldwide. Here’s how you can support: 1. Donate to the cause via the link in their bio. 2. Spread the word. Reshare, repost, retweet as many posts about this attempt as possible. 3. Show up at Times Square if you’re in NYC or nearby if you can, he’s currently at 58:13min. You can still show upif you can’t, follow the live update hun. He wants ro add extra two hours to make it 60hours More enquires for support can be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].? For real-time updates, follow Chess in Slums Africa and @thegiftofchess. #impact #socialimpact
♬ original sound – Sandra Adebayo