•Says his dream is to inspire the world, build biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria
Award-winning chess master, Tunde Onakoya, has added a bigger title to his many achievements by christening his name in the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon spanning 64 unbroken hours.
Onakoya, founder of Chess in Slums Africa and co-founder of Great Minds Chess Academy, accomplished this feat — which began on 17th April and ended on 20th April, at New York’s Times Square — with his United States colleague and National Master, Shawn Martinez.
A few days before the game—organized by The Gift of Chess, a non-profit organisation committed to donating one million chess sets globally by 2030 — the Nigerian chess master, through his official LinkedIn page, said, “There is a new world record for 61 hours set by two Norwegian players. Myself and US National Master, Shawn Martinez, will attempt to break that record and set a new one for 70 hours.”
He further said that this time, he would not do it alone. He would play alongside the five children from Chess in Slums Africa, who have shown that it is possible to do great things from a small place. He said the children would only join in for a few hours each day.
“This is an open call to every chess player in New York City to come challenge them right in the heart of Times Square. My dream is to inspire the world and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria,” he said before the game.
After the game, Onakayo said, “We did the impossible and gave the world something new to believe in.”
The two chess masters aimed to play for 70 hours, but decided to stop at 64 hours, which, according to Onakayo, was symbolic, adding, “We stopped at 64 hours because it is the total number of squares on the chessboard. It felt like the right thing to do.”
Shawn Martinez, on the other hand, took to social media, saying the experience was a painful ride.
According to Chess.com, the previous official record was 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, and was set during the 2024 Norway Chess by Norwegian duo Odin Blikra and Askild Bryn.
Oluwatosin Oyetade, Tunde Onakoya’s executive assistant, commenting on the outcome of the game, via her LinkedIn page, stated that while the world saw history made on the board, a different kind of pressure was playing out behind the scenes.
She further stated that records like this are not just physical, they demand emotional stamina, operational excellence, logistical foresight, and strategic calm.
Congratulating Onakoya and Martinez, Oyetade said it is possible to do great things from a small place, adding, “Today, we celebrate a historic record, but I am also celebrating what it took to protect the vision behind the scenes.”
Hammed Kayode Alabi, social entrepreneur and career advisor for underserved and displaced youths, noted that Onakayo’s feat encapsulated the maxims: “I am because we are” and “We are because you are” and that is what it means to “do great things from a small place.”
Alabi said that Onakayo did not only break the record, but also gave something to the children mentors, and the world, something to believe in.
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