By Emmanuel Onyango
Nigerian Tunde Onakoya has broken the world record for the longest chess marathon after playing unbeaten for more than 58 hours in New York City's Times Square to raise money for underprivileged children in his country.
Onakoya, 29, embarked on his marathon session on Wednesday, and was visibly emotional when he finally surpassed the 58-hour mark on Friday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
"I can't process a lot of the emotions I feel right now. I don't have the right words for them. But I know we did something truly remarkable," he said.
"(At) 3 am last night, that was the moment I was ready to just give it all up... but Nigerians traveled from all over the world. And they were with me overnight," he continued.
'Dancing together'
"We were singing together and they were dancing together and I couldn't just give up on them."
The Guinness World Record organisation has yet to publicly comment about Onakoya’s attempt. It sometimes takes weeks for the organisation to confirm any new record.
The current chess marathon official record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds was achieved in 2018 by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, both from Norway.
If his feat is eventually recognised by GWR, Onakoya will officially dethrone them and be crowned the king of world chess marathon.
Congratulations have been pouring in for the Nigerian chess master. President Bola Tinubu hailed Onakoya for "setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria's resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity."
Onakoya, he added, had "shown a streak customary among Nigeria's youth population, the audacity to make good change happen... even from corners of disadvantage."
The governor of Lagos state, Nigeria's economic capital, said Onakoya's "journey from Lagos to global recognition embodies the spirit of our great city".
"Tunde Onakoya continues to demonstrate that greatness can emerge from even the most humble beginnings. His remarkable story serves as a blueprint for all of us in Lagos - a city where his impact has been felt the most, showing that with determination, dreams can indeed soar to monumental heights," said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Onakoya is well known in Nigeria, where he launched a project called Chess in Slums in 2018 in Ikorodu, on the outskirts of Lagos.
The organisation offers often-marginalised young people, many of whom are not in school, a space to learn to play chess.
By beating the world record, Onakoya hopes to raise $1 million to help underprivileged children in Africa.
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