After 64 hours of continuous play in Times Square, New York, Nigerian Tunde Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the chess marathon.
Tunde Onakoya’s new performance, achieved with his playing partner Shawn Martinez, took place from Thursday, April 17 to Sunday, April 20, 2025. The duo broke the previous record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds held by Norwegians Odin Blikra Vea and Askild Bryn.
However, the initial goal of 70 hours was not reached. "We decided to stop after 64 hours because it represents the total number of squares on a chessboard. It felt symbolically right," explained Onakoya, as quoted by the Ecofin agency.
The Nigerian chess master's feat has already received official approval from Guinness.
This sporting achievement is much more than just a record for Tunde Onakoya, who continues his goal of raising $1 million to fund the education of children in the most disadvantaged areas of Africa.
For Tunde Onakoya, chess is a tool to transform the lives of thousands of children and provide them with access to education.
Through his organization Chess in Slums Africa, which he founded in 2018, Tunde Onakoya has already awarded scholarships to more than 200 children, enabling them to continue their education all the way to university.
"Doing this for the dreams of millions of children in Africa who do not have access to education," he said during the event.
This new achievement comes exactly one year after Tunde Onakoya overcame violent vomiting and extreme fatigue to play for 60 hours during his first match with Martinez at Times Square, breaking a previous record set by a Norwegian duo.
