TundeBy Victor Kanayo
A Nigerian, Tunde Onakoya, early Saturday morning broke the world record for the longest continuous chess marathon.
He played for 58 hours straight, without losing a single game under the beaming lights of New York’s iconic Times Square.
He also went beyond the 58-hour mark and still playing.
Heritage Times HT reports that his goal was to raise $1 million to have a transformative impact on the lives of children in Nigeria.
Onakoya has now beat the previous record held by Iranian chess player, Pouya Idani, who had played for 57 hours and 18 minutes.
Onakoya has gained a reputation for his philanthropic work, particularly his efforts to provide underprivileged children with access to the game of chess.
He has been working tirelessly to promote chess as a tool for social change in Nigeria, and his success in breaking the world record has brought even more attention to his cause.
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He made the confirmation of the new record in a post on his social media platform which read, “WE HAVE DONE IT, We’re pushing to 60 hours guys. We’re not stopping yet. Let’s keep going. We have a fundraising goal to meet for the education of African children around the world. This is our why – the reason we are doing this.”
Back home in Nigeria, people threw their support behind Onakoya as they watched him conquer the record on Twitch, a video-streaming service.
Supporters left messages on the stream commending Onakoya as an inspiration.
