Nigerian Player Sets Unofficial World Record
"For the Dreams of African Children Without Access to Education"
Nigerian chess champion succeeded in setting a record by playing chess continuously for 60 hours without rest. He runs a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the poor state of child education in Africa, and the donations raised from this challenge will also be used for the organization.
CNN and AP News reported that Nigerian chess player Tunde Onakoya (29) broke the unofficial world record by playing chess continuously for 60 hours on the 20th (local time) at Times Square in New York, USA. The previous longest chess game record was 56 hours 9 minutes and 37 seconds, set by Norwegian players in November 2018.
To be officially recognized as a world record, verification by Guinness World Records is required. However, CNN stated, "Regardless of official status, Onakoya has already become a national hero in Nigeria."
Nigerian chess champion Tunde Onakoya (center) is playing a chess match against American player Sean Martinez (right) at Times Square, New York, USA, on the 19th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
Onakoya started playing chess against American chess player Sean Martinez on the 17th and continued the match for 60 hours until 12:40 AM on the 20th. They did not stop playing chess except for about 5 minutes of rest between games.
During the match, Nigerians gathered at New York’s Times Square, playing traditional music and cheering for Onakoya. Also, the match was broadcast live in various parts of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. After successfully completing the challenge, Onakoya said, "There were moments I wanted to give up, but Nigerians from all over the world gathered and stayed with me through the night," adding, "Because of them singing and dancing together, I couldn’t give up."
Onakoya is from a slum in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, and first encountered chess at a neighborhood barbershop. His mother supported him while working as a cleaner at a school.
He currently runs a nonprofit organization called ‘Chess in Africa Slums,’ which teaches chess and provides scholarships to children in slums. The donations raised from this longest chess game world record challenge will also be used for this organization. It is reported that $22,000 (about 30 million KRW) in donations was collected within 20 hours of starting the match.
Onakoya explained the reason for the record challenge as "for the dreams of millions of children across Africa who do not have the opportunity to receive education." AP News reported, "In West Africa, where Nigeria is located, the number of school-age children who do not attend school exceeds 10 million."
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