Nigerian chess champion and kid schooling advocate Tunde Onakoya has broken the record for the longest chess long distance race in the wake of playing for 60 hours constant under the brilliant lights of New York City’s Times Square.
Guinness World Records has not yet affirmed Onakoya’s endeavor, which can some of the time require weeks, however for some Nigerians, the 29-year-old is as of now thought about something of a public legend.
Onakoya is endeavoring to raise $1 million for a cause to help schooling for kids across Africa.
He had meant to play for 58 hours however went on until raising a ruckus around town hour mark in the early long stretches of Saturday morning, outperforming the past record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds set in 2018 by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad of Norway.
Fueled by Nigerian jollof rice, Afrobeats music and messages of support from across the globe, Onakoya won every game against Martinez.
Among those who came out to cheer him on in Manhattan were Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido and singer Adekunle Gold.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu was among those who congratulated Onakoya online, praising him for “setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria’s resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.”
The match drew significant attention in Nigeria and was broadcast across multiple locations in Lagos, the country’s largest city, featuring watch parties and digital billboards.
Onakoya founded Chess in Slums Africa, which seeks to empower children in underprivileged communities by using chess to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills, in Lagos.
