NIGERIAN chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has officially set a new Guinness World Record after completing a 64-hour chess marathon at Times Square in New York City.
The confirmation, announced via his Chess in Slums Africa’s X handle on Sunday, April 20, came after Onakoya’s marathon chess session, which began at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, April 17, and concluded around 11 am on Sunday, April 20.
The feat, achieved alongside US chess master Shawn Martinez, surpasses the previous world record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds set by the Norwegian pair Odin Blikra Vea and Askild Bryn in June 2024.
In a now-viral video and picture, a GWR official presents the award for the Nigerian chess master’s new 64-hour record.
This is Onakoya’s second major attempt at the record. In April 2024, he completed a 60-hour session, overtaking the previous 56-hour record set in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.
However, his success was short-lived, as the Norwegian pair beat his record barely two months later.
Addressing the public before the marathon, Onakoya explained that his goal was beyond setting a world record.
“There is a new world record for 61 hours set by two Norwegian players. On the 17th of April, we will attempt to break that record and set a new one for 70 hours.
“My dream is to inspire the world and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria,” he wrote.
Through his Chess in Slums Africa initiative, Onakoya has used the game as a tool to empower vulnerable children living in impoverished communities.
Over the years, he has organised chess training sessions in some of Nigeria’s most underprivileged areas, including the slums of Makoko, where children with little or no access to formal education are taught how to play chess alongside literacy and numeracy skills.
Some of the children mentored through the initiative have gone on to win local and international chess tournaments, receive scholarships, and earn media attention for their remarkable turnarounds.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M