Nigerian Chess Master Tunde Onakoya Launches Second Attempt at Guinness World Record for Longest Chess Marathon
Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya, who is also the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has kicked off a new endeavor to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon. This ambitious effort is being supported by Gift of Chess, a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to distributing chess sets globally. The marathon’s commencement was announced through photos and videos shared by Gift of Chess on X.com on Thursday.
This marks Onakoya’s second attempt at reclaiming the prestigious title. In April 2024, he successfully completed a 60-hour chess marathon in collaboration with U.S. chess master Shawn Martinez, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours held since 2018 by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad. However, their achievement was short-lived, as another pair of Norwegians soon set a new standard of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds just two months later in June 2024.
Now, one year later, Onakoya and Martinez have launched a new 70-hour chess marathon aimed at reclaiming the title. The event began on April 17 in Times Square, New York City, and is scheduled to continue until April 20, 2025.
Beyond the quest for the record, Onakoya highlighted that the marathon also serves a greater purpose: to raise awareness and funds for establishing the largest free school for homeless children in Nigeria. He expressed his vision, stating, “My dream is to inspire the world and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria. I won’t be doing it alone. I’ll be playing alongside these kids who have shown all of us that it is possible to do great things from a small place. (They will only join in for a few hours).”
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