A Nigerian man has set a Guinness World Record for ‘Longest Chess Marathon’ after playing for almost five days straight.
Tunde Onakoya, 29, began a 60-hour game of chess in New York City’s Times Square on Wednesday, April 17, and ended at 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, according to the Associated Press. That’s what it means.
The previous record was 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, set in 2018 by Norway’s Halvard Haug Hratebo and Sujur Verkingstad, according to the Associated Press.
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Guinness World Records has not yet confirmed that the record has been broken. The process could take several weeks, the Associated Press noted.
Onakoya played a chess match with American chess player Sean Martinez.
The rules of record stipulate that a player must play against the same player throughout the entire chess marathon.
Tunde Onakoya (right), a Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate, recently set a record for the longest chess marathon after completing a 60-hour match in New York City’s Times Square. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Onakoya and Martinez were allowed to take a five-minute break after every hour of chess play.
These breaks were “sometimes grouped together,” according to the Associated Press, and Onakoya received cheers from the crowd both online and in-person during the record attempt.
“There has been overwhelming support from Nigerians in the United States, world leaders, celebrities, and hundreds of passersby,” he told The Associated Press.
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Among those who followed Onakoya’s record attempt was Nigeria’s former vice president, Yemi Osinbajo.
Osinbajo posted a reminder on X (formerly Twitter) asking Onakoya to “remember my powerful words: ‘It is possible to accomplish great things even from a small place.'”
Onakoya and his opponents were only given a five-minute break for each chess play time. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
With this record-setting effort, Onakoya hopes to raise $1 million for the education of children in Africa.
According to the Associated Press, he raised $22,000 on the first day of the record attempt.
Expanding educational opportunities for poor children in Africa is one of Onakoya’s passions.
He is the founder of Chess in Slam Africa, an organization that teaches children living in extreme poverty how to play chess.
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“By using chess as a tool for socio-economic transformation, we have succeeded in securing lifelong scholarships for over 200 children from impoverished families,” the African Slum Chess website states. There is.
After 24 hours, Onakoya said her energy is “100% right now” thanks to the support of those who watched her attempt to set the record.
Onakoya is the founder of Chess in Slam Africa, a nonprofit organization that teaches chess to children living in poverty. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
According to the organization’s website, there are numerous Guinness World Records related to chess games, chess pieces, and chess sets.
According to Guinness, the record for “largest chess piece” is currently held by the 20-foot-tall King piece at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri.
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At the other end of the scale, the record for the smallest handmade chess set belongs to Ara Davidi Ghazarian of Los Angeles.
Artist Ghazarian created an 8mm x 8mm chess set on August 22, 2020 to achieve this record.
Guinness said the individual pieces ranged in height from 1mm to 2.4mm.
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On February 17, 1989, then-Yugoslav chess masters Ivan Nokolić and Goran Alsovic played a 269-move chess match, setting a record for the most moves in a chess match.
According to Guinness, the match lasted 20 hours and 15 minutes and ended in a draw.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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