A Nigerian chess champion plays the real game for 58 hours – a new global chess record

NEW YORK — A Nigerian chess champion and early childhood education advocate played chess non-stop for 58 hours in New York’s Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to raise $1 million for the education of children across Africa through the record attempt that began on Wednesday.

He crossed the 58-hour mark at around 02:30 GMT on Saturday, surpassing the current chess marathon record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, achieved in 2018 by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, both from Norway.

The Guinness World Record organization has not yet publicly commented on Onakoya’s attempt. Sometimes it takes weeks for the organization to confirm any new records.

Onakoya played against Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, in accordance with Guinness World Record guidelines that any attempt to break the record must be made by two players who would play continuously throughout the period.

Support has grown online and on-site, where a mix of African music kept spectators and supporters entertained amidst screams and applause.

The record attempt is “for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education,” said Onakoya, who founded Chess in Slums Africa in 2018. The organization wants to support the education of at least 1 million children in slums across the continent. .

“My energy is 100% now because my people are here supporting me with music,” Onakoya said Thursday night after the players passed the 24-hour mark.

On Onakoya’s menu: Lots of water and jollof rice, one of West Africa’s best-known dishes.

For every hour of play played, Onakoya and his opponent were only five minutes apart. Breaks were sometimes grouped together and Onakoya took advantage of them to chat with Nigerians and New Yorkers cheering him on. He even participated in their dance sometimes.

A total of US$22,000 was raised in the first 20 hours after the attempt, said Taiwo Adeyemi, Onakoya’s manager.

“The support has been overwhelming from Nigerians in the US, global leaders, celebrities and hundreds of passersby,” he said.

Onakoya’s attempt was closely watched in Nigeria, where he regularly organizes chess competitions for young people living on the streets.

More than 10 million children are out of school in this West African country – one of the highest rates in the world.

Among those who have publicly supported him are celebrities and public office holders, including Nigeria’s former vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, who wrote to Onakoya on social media platform X: “Remember your own powerful words: ‘It’s It’s possible to do big things from a small place.'”

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This version corrects that Osinbajo is the former vice president of Nigeria, not the current vice president.

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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.