By Abiola Olawale
Nigerian chess master and education advocate Tunde Onakoya has again shattered the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon, surpassing the previous mark of 61 hours set by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.
Onakoya, founder of Chess in Slums Africa, achieved this historic feat at Times Square, New York City, United States and is now pushing to extend his record to an unprecedented 70 hours, with the marathon set to conclude on April 20, 2025.
Onakoya, alongside US National Master Shawn Martinez, began the challenge on April 17, 2025.
As of Saturday, April 19, he was 17 hours into the marathon and going strong, with supporters rallying around his mission to raise funds for free schools for homeless children in Nigeria.
“This is more than a record; it’s about inspiring hope and creating opportunities for children through chess,” Onakoya shared on X, emphasizing the social impact of his initiative.
He added: “Proceeds from my limited edition chess sets will go directly towards our fundraising goal: to build a tuition-free school for homeless children. This is a dream I’ve carried for years. Because no child should ever have their childhood sacrificed for survival. No dream should be buried beneath the weight of poverty.”
Taking to his official X handle on Sunday, Onakoya declared: “For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD ❤️🇳🇬”
The New Diplomat reports that this marks Onakoya’s second attempt at the prestigious record.
In April 2024, he completed a 60-hour chess marathon alongside Shawn Martinez, surpassing the 56-hour record previously set in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.
However, their achievement was short-lived, as another pair of Norwegian players set a new record of 61 hours, 3 minutes and 34 seconds just two months later, in June 2024.
One year later, Onakoya and Martinez embarked on a 70-hour chess marathon to reclaim the title and set a new world record.
