Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya is currently attempting to break the record for the longest chess marathon in Times Square, New York. He aims to play for 58 consecutive hours and raise $1 million for charity in the process, supporting chess education for children.
With hundreds of supporters cheering him on, including Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido, the Nigerian community in New York has rallied behind Onakoya. They provide him with music and energising supplies of classic Nigerian dishes like jollof rice.
In Nigeria, people are watching Onakoya’s attempt to break the record on Twitch. By 03:00 on Friday New York time, he had already played for 39 hours and raised over $42,000. He is determined to play until at least 20:00 on Friday, surpassing the Guinness World Record of 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds.
Onakoya, who credits chess with helping him escape poverty in Lagos, runs an NGO called Chess in Slums Africa that teaches chess to children in underprivileged communities. He is also a board member of The Gift of Chess, a US non-profit that aims to distribute one million chess sets to underserved communities by 2030.