New York’s Time Square beamed with Nigerian dishes and drums as 29-year-old Tunde Onakoya attempted to make a bold statement with his 58-hour non-stop chess game to become a Guinness World Records title holder.
Onakoya, who grew up in a Lagos ghetto, achieved his goal very early on Saturday morning by breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon without losing to anyone. He, however, decided to push the duration to 60 hours. He started the game on Wednesday, April 17.
His philosophy, one “can do great things from a small place”, has been shared several times on social media.
Through Chess in Slums Africa, a non-profit dedicated to empowering disadvantaged children with chess literacy and support their education, Onakoya caters to the needs of young children across Africa.
Onakoya aspired to remain unbeaten by Shawn Martinez, also a chess master, and raise $1 million for charity purposes. As of press time, his supporters had donated over $54,000 to the cause.“We’re on a mission to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon while raising $1 million for educational programmes in African slums,” Tunde had written ahead of the game.
