Nigerian Chess Champion Tunde Onakoya Breaks World Record for Longest Chess Marathon in New York

Chess made it famous in Nigeria – and now around the world: Tunde Onakoya broke the world record for the longest chess marathon in New York.

The 29-year-old played chess in Times Square for over 58 hours and remained undefeated. With the campaign, Onakoya raised money for disadvantaged children in Africa.

Onakoya made his first move on Wednesday. He sat in front of the chessboard until Friday evening. “I can’t process many of the emotions I’m feeling right now,” he told AFP as he broke the 58-hour mark. “But I know we achieved something really amazing.”

He and his opponent then finished the chess marathon amicably.

He wasn’t sure if he would: Friday night he was close to giving up, said Onakoya. “But Nigerians have come from all over the world. And they were with me all night,” he said. “We were singing and dancing together, and I just couldn’t leave it hanging.”

In 2018, Onakoya launched the “Chess in Slums” project in the city of Ikorodu, near the Nigerian capital of Lagos. The group is aimed at children and young people in the area who cannot go to school often and who have to work to support their families.

The chess champion himself grew up in a slum near Lagos. As a boy, he learned chess in a hairdresser’s shop – and the game helped him rise out of poverty.

His vision today: chess as a revolution in the African slums. By 2030, one million children should be taught chess. He wants to prove that chess is a “worrying idea for the slums of Africa,” as the business magazine “brand eins” reports.

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Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated Onakoya on his album, praising his “talent” and “pity”. Onakoya hopes his world record will raise $1 million for underprivileged children in Africa.

The previous world record recognized by Guinness World Records was 56 hours, nine minutes and 37 seconds, set in 2018 by the Norwegian duo Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.