Nigerian chess icon and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya has kicked off his second ambitious attempt to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest chess marathon.

The marathon began on Thursday at the iconic Times Square in New York City, where Onakoya aims to play nonstop chess for 70 hours—without losing a single game.

Under GWR rules, he’s permitted only a five-minute break every hour throughout the marathon.

In a video shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, Onakoya posted a countdown to the challenge, surrounded by a cheering crowd of supporters rallying behind his mission.

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GAME ON! 🇳🇬 #ChessForEducation #70HoursofChessWithTunde #GWR2025@chessinslums pic.twitter.com/tSVE58mPBH

— Tunde Onakoya (@Tunde_OD) April 17, 2025

More than just a quest for personal glory, Onakoya revealed that the drive behind his record-breaking attempt is to raise support for building free schools for homeless children across Nigeria—a cause at the heart of his Chess in Slums Africa initiative.

This isn’t his first time at the board for a world record. In April 2024, he completed a grueling 60-hour chess session alongside American chess master Shawn Martinez, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours set by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.

However, despite this impressive feat, the GWR did not officially recognise the 60-hour attempt. Instead, the organization later acknowledged Norwegians Odin Blikra Vea and Askild Bryn as the new record holders after they clocked in 61 hours, 03 minutes, and 34 seconds.

Determined to set the record straight, Tunde Onakoya announced last week that he and Martinez would return to the board—this time aiming for an unprecedented 70-hour run.

Joining him on this inspiring journey are five children from his Chess in Slums Africa program—young talents who, as he proudly notes, “have shown all of us that it is possible to do great things from a small place.”

Vanguard News