A Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, is trying to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Tunde’s goal is an uninterrupted play for 58 hours in Manhattan, the United States, to set a new record.
The current record stands at 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds, achieved by Hallvard Haug and Sjur Ferkingstad in Norway in 2018. The Nigerian has already crossed 16 hours.
The event, which is underway at New York City’s iconic Times Square, started on Wednesday, April 17, and is scheduled to end on April 19.
Onakoya has won all his contests so far in this record attempt, including his match with New York’s National Chess Master, Shawn Martinez.
After 15 hours of continuous play with 12 opponents, Onakoya took an accumulated break of 30 minutes, as the rules stipulate a five-minute break for every hour of play.
Onakoya is also playing two sets of games simultaneously and must not lose either.
The chess master has received encouraging messages from various Nigerian dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
The US Mission Nigeria and UK Mission in Nigeria have also sent their best wishes to Onakoya via their respective X handles.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
