Tunde Onakoya, the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, is gearing up for another attempt to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest chess marathon.
In a post on X over the weekend, Onakoya revealed his plan to play chess for 70 hours at Times Square, New York City, from April 17 to 20.
He explained that his goal to break the record is driven by the desire to raise support for establishing free schools for homeless children in Nigeria.
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This will mark Onakoya’s second attempt at securing the prestigious record.
Onakoya took part in a 60-hour chess marathon in April 2024, playing alongside US chess master Shawn Martinez.
The achievement surpassed the previous 56-hour record held by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, set in 2018.
Onakoya’s record was eventually overtaken in June 2024, just two months later, when two Norwegian players set a new mark with a 61-hour marathon.
Onakoya shared that he and Martinez aim to surpass the existing record and establish a new one by playing for 70 hours.
“My dream is to inspire the world, and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria,” he said.
Onakoya remarked that he will be joined by five children from Chess in Slums Africa, who “have shown all of us that it is possible to do great things from a small place”.
“They will only join in for a few hours. This is an open call to every chess player in New York City to come and challenge them,” he added.
