Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya has made history by setting a new Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest chess marathon.
Onakoya achieved the milestone on Sunday after clocking 64 hours of continuous play alongside his playing partner, American chess player Shawn Martinez, in Times Square, New York.
The previous record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds was set in 2024 by Norwegian duo Odin Blikra Vea and Askild Bryn.
Though the record was already broken after surpassing the 62-hour mark, Onakoya and Martinez chose to continue playing until they reached the 70-hour goal — a move aimed at drawing more attention to their cause: raising funds to build free schools for homeless children across Africa.
“Doing this for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education,” Onakoya
While the marathon has been completed, the new record remains subject to official verification and confirmation by the Guinness World Records.
This was not Onakoya’s first attempt at the title. In April 2024, he completed a 60-hour chess marathon, exceeding the previous 56-hour mark set in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.
However, that attempt was never officially recognized by GWR.
