Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has set a new milestone by breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
On Sunday, Onakoya and U.S. chess master Shawn Martinez surpassed the previous record of 61 hours, reaching 62 hours.
Their goal now is to push beyond 70 hours, aiming for an even greater achievement.
In a post on X, formally Twitter, Onakoya expressed his excitement: “For all the dreamers! We’ve officially broken the record!”
However, he emphasized that the marathon’s purpose goes beyond setting a new record—it is to raise awareness and funds for building Nigeria’s largest free school for homeless children.
The chess marathon began on Wednesday, April 17, in Times Square, New York City.
By the time they exceeded the 50-hour mark, Onakoya had already made it clear that this challenge was about much more than the game.
His goal was to inspire others and raise much-needed support for children who have never had a chance at a better life.
Onakoya shared an inspiring message during the marathon: “If you had 70 hours to change the world, what would you do? Sometimes, you have to carve it out of your own breath, your own becoming. Not for applause. Not for records. But for the quiet dreamers who need to see someone leap—so they know it’s possible to fly.”
He added, “Every move, every hour, a love letter to children who’ve never known the luxury of a second chance. If your heart has ever burned for something bigger than yourself, come find us. Stand with us.”
This marks Onakoya’s second attempt at the prestigious world record.
In April 2024, he completed a 60-hour marathon alongside Martinez, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours set in 2018.
However, the achievement was short-lived, as a pair of Norwegian players set a new record of 61 hours just two months later.
Now, a year later, Onakoya and Martinez are back, determined to reclaim the title and set a new world record.
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