Nigerian Chess Genius Begins 58-Hour Guinness World Record Attempt at Times Square 

Nigerian Chess Master, Tunde Onakoya, attempts to break the Guinness World Record for playing Chess without losing a single round.

The 58-hour event is set to start at 10 a.m. on April 17 and end at 8 p.m. on April 19. It will take place in Times Square in New York City, where he will play chess without losing a single game.

On November 11, 2018, Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebe and Sjur Ferkingstad set the current Guinness World Record, which is 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds.

In his announcement of the intention on his X account, Onakoya said that he was carrying out this action in support of the aspirations of the millions of African youngsters who lack access to education.

He said: “On the 17th of April 2024, I will attempt to break the Guinness World record for the longest Chess marathon in the heart of Times Square New York City for 58 hours without losing a game,”

“Doing this for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education,” he tweeted.

Onakoya is well-known for his wonderful work utilising chess to give kids in the country’s underprivileged areas—also referred to as slums—opportunities.

He acknowledged that he was aware of the suffering caused by hunger in an interview with The Morning Brief on Channels Television. “We knew the pain of not having access, and that is the real tragedy of poverty. It’s not just about not having money; you’re not having access. You’re completely removed from systems-you know, education, the rule of law, everything.”

He emphasised that empathy and compassion play a major role in his actions, and they drive his intense desire to persevere through difficult times.

“I aim to be the support I wished I had when I was younger, for someone else,” he said.

The Chess in Slums pioneer appealed to Nigerians residing in New York to come forward and offer their enthusiastic support to help him achieve the new world record.

He stated that the attempt would begin at 10 am (presumably New York time) and would be available for everyone to stream on Youtube.