NEW YORK – Under the bright lights of New York’s iconic Times Square, Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya has shattered the record for the longest chess marathon, playing for an astounding 58 consecutive hours.
Onakoya’s goal is to raise $1 million (£805,000) for charity, with the funds earmarked to support chess education for millions of children. His feat has drawn hundreds of supporters from New York’s Nigerian community, including Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido. They provided music and energized him with supplies of classic Nigerian dishes, including the beloved national staple, jollof rice.
Back in Nigeria, people rallied behind Onakoya as they watched him conquer the record on Twitch, a video-streaming service. Supporters left messages on the stream commending Onakoya as an inspiration. “Thank you for daring to dream and showing us the levels to which we can all take our brain power to! Well done Tunde! I’m going to pick up my chess board back haha,” one commenter wrote.
Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima posted, “Mr Onakoya is a symbol of excellence and resilience that distinguish Nigerians both at home and abroad… Go, make history, and inscribe our name in gold.” Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu told Onakoya, “Lagos is rooting for you,” adding that his attempt was “a powerful testament to how greatness can emerge from anywhere.”
The previous world record, recognized by Guinness World Records, was 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds, set by Norwegian duo Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.
Onakoya, 29, credits chess with saving him from the overwhelming poverty he faced growing up in Lagos’s infamous floating slums. His non-profit, Chess in Slums Africa, teaches the game to children from poor communities and helps them with their education.
Onakoya is also a board member of the US non-profit The Gift of Chess, which works to transform lives through chess and is targeting to distribute one million chess sets to underserved communities by 2030. His record-breaking marathon is a testament to the transformative power of chess and the resilience of the human spirit.
