The world record for the longest chess marathon has been broken by Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya in an incredible feat of endurance and talent.
Under the bright lights of Times Square in New York, Onakoya played chess nonstop for fifty-eight hours. This accomplishment exceeded the previous record of 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds that was set in 2018 by the Norwegian team of Sjur Ferkingstad and Hallvard Haug Flatebø.
The marathon served as both a physical challenge and a humanitarian endeavour. In order to fund his effort, Chess in Slums Africa, Onakoya sought to raise $1 million. The money is meant to help millions of underprivileged kids learn to play chess and improve their lives.
Tunde Onakoya is a Nigerian chess master, coach and founder of Chess in Slums Africa. He has organised a number of interventions for children across slums in Lagos state including Majidun (Ikorodu), Makoko and recently, Oshodi.
The children are engaged in a two-week session that seeks to unlock their potential through the game of chess while learning to read, write and acquire basic literacy skills.
Onakoya learned to play chess at a barber’s shop in a slum in Ikorodu, Lagos where he grew up. Being unable to pay for his secondary school, his mother offered to work for a school as a cleaner in exchange for his school fees. He would later be ranked as the number 13 chess player in Nigeria.
Onakoya got a diploma in computer science at Yaba College of Technology where he was a gold medalist representing the school in Nigeria Polytechnic Games and also at the RCCG Chess Championship. He has also won the National Friends of Chess and the Chevron Chess Open.
Onakoya was featured in CNN African Voices.Onakoya is a board member of the New York City-based non-profit The Gift of Chess.
In September 2018, Chess in Slums Africa started as a volunteer driven non-profit organisation that aims to empower young ones in impoverished communities through chess.
Chess in Slums Africa partnered with Chess.com in September 2020 as an educational tool for classrooms, chess clubs, and parents.
As of June 2021, Chess in Slums Africa had trained over 200 children and got lifelong scholarships for 20 of them.
In May 2021, Ferdinand, a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy won the chess tournament in Makoko. He later met and competed with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State.
