GWR: Tunde Onakoya gears up, attempts 70-hour chess marathon in Times Square

Eric Patrick 

Nigeria’s chess champion, Tunde Onakoya has said that he is gearing up for another attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

Onakoya made this in a post shared on his X handle (Formerly Twitter), stating that he would be playing against a US National master Shawn Martinez.

He revealed plans to play chess non-stop for 70 hours at Times Square in New York City. The event is scheduled to take place from April 17 to 20, 2025.

Onakoya highlighted that the objective extends beyond merely setting a record; it is about fostering awareness and garnering support for the establishment of the largest free school dedicated to homeless children in Nigeria.

Onakoya's post read, “There is a new world record for 61 hours set by two Norwegian players. On the 17th of April, we will attempt to break that record and set a new one for 70 hours

“My dream is to inspire the world and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria.

“I won’t be doing it alone. I’ll be playing alongside these kids 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”.

Onakoya broke the record of Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, who played for 56-hour, 9-minute in 2018.

On April 17, 2024, Onakoya commenced his attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

On April 20, 2024, he broke the record for the longest-ever chess marathon with a time of 60 hours at Times Square in New York, United States.