By Chineu Asadu and John Minchillo, The Related Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A Nigerian chess champion and baby training advocate performed chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York Metropolis’s Instances Sq. to interrupt the Guinness World Report for the longest chess marathon.
Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to boost $1 million for youngsters’s training throughout Africa by way of the report try that started on April 17.
He had got down to play the royal recreation for 58 hours however continued till he reached 60 hours at about 12:40 a.m. April 20, surpassing the present chess marathon report of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, achieved in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.
The Guinness World Report group has but to publicly remark about Onakoya’s try. It typically takes weeks for the group to substantiate any new report.
Onakoya performed in opposition to Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, consistent with Guinness World Report pointers that any try to interrupt the report should be made by two gamers who would play constantly for your complete length.
Assist had been rising on-line and on the scene, the place a mix of African music stored onlookers and supporters entertained amid cheers and applause. Among the many dozens who cheered Onakoya on on the scene was Nigerian music star Davido.
The report try is “for the goals of thousands and thousands of kids throughout Africa with out entry to training,” stated Onakoya, who based Chess in Slums Africa in 2018. The group needs to help the training of at the least 1 million youngsters in slums throughout the continent.
“My vitality is at 100% proper now as a result of my individuals are right here supporting me with music,” Onakoya stated later April 18 after the gamers crossed the 24-hour mark.
On Onakoya’s menu: A lot of water and jollof rice, considered one of West Africa’s best-known dishes.
For each hour of recreation performed, Onakoya and his opponent obtained solely 5 minutes’ break. The breaks had been typically grouped collectively, and Onakoya used them to meet up with Nigerians and New Yorkers cheering him on. He even joined in with their dancing typically.
A complete of $22,000 was raised inside the first 20 hours of the try, stated Taiwo Adeyemi, Onakoya’s supervisor.
“The help has been overwhelming from Nigerians within the U.S., world leaders, celebrities and tons of of passersby,” he stated.
Onakoya’s try was carefully adopted in Nigeria, the place he repeatedly organizes chess competitions for younger folks dwelling on the streets.
Greater than 10 million school-age youngsters usually are not in class within the West African nation — one of many world’s highest charges.
Amongst those that have publicly supported him are celebrities and public workplace holders, together with Nigeria’s former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who wrote to Onakoya on the social media platform X, “Bear in mind your individual highly effective phrases: ‘It’s attainable to do nice issues from a small place.’”
This model corrects that Osinbajo is Nigeria’s former vp, not present vp.
Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.
