Beneath the dazzling lights of New York’s iconic Times Square, Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya has shattered the record for the longest chess marathon.
Even after playing for 58 consecutive hours, Onakoya remained steadfast at the board. His goal is to raise $1 million (£805,000) for charity to bolster chess education for millions of children.
Scores of supporters from New York City’s Nigerian community turned out to rally behind the chess maestro, with Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Davido among them.
They provided music and replenished his energy with servings of traditional Nigerian cuisine, including the cherished national favorite, jollof rice.
Back in Nigeria, Onakoya received overwhelming support as viewers tuned in to witness his record-breaking feat on Twitch, a popular video-streaming service.
Messages flooded the stream, praising Onakoya as a source of 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 expressed.
“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,” Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima posted on X.
“Lagos is rooting for you,” Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu told Onakoya, 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, which was 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.
