Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess master, has set his sights on breaking the Guinness World Record for longest chess marathon. His motivation? To advocate the goals of many African children who do not have access to education.
Onakoya intends to play chess continuously for 58 hours, with the goal of winning without losing a single game.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 17 and 19 in New York City’s famed Times Square.
In a recent tweet, Onakoya declared, “On the 17th of April 2024, I will attempt to break the Guinness World record for the longest chess marathon in the heart of Times Square, New York City, playing for 58 hours without conceding a game. This endeavour is dedicated to the dreams of millions of children across Africa who lack educational opportunities.”
Onakoya’s commitment extends beyond the chessboard. As the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, he strives to unlock the potential of underprivileged children through mentorship and chess education.
“We knew the pain of hunger. We knew the pain of not having access and that is the real tragedy of poverty. It’s not just not having money, you’re not having access; you’re completely removed from systems—you know, education, the rule of law, everything. I guess that helped, really. I instilled this empathy for people who have gone through the same things that I did right to just understand their plight through a much different lens, right?” Onakoya said in an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“A lot of that is deeply rooted in empathy and compassion, and that is why I think I have the capacity to do what I do and to do it so passionately without giving up even when it becomes hard. I know that I want to be who I needed to be when I was young to someone else. I think that is where it (the passion) really does stem from.”
The current Guinness World Record stands at 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds and was achieved by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad of Norway on November 11, 2018.