Friday, September 11, 2026

Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, breaks GWR’s longest chess marathon

A charity group on Thursday said Mr Onakoya experienced intense vomiting and stomach pain.

• April 20, 2024
Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya
Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya[Credit: Instagram]

Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, has broken the Guinness World Records’ longest chess marathon after attempting it for more than two days.

Mr Onakoya, intending to engage in a 58-hour game, exceeded expectations by engaging in a nonstop match against his opponent Shawn Martinez for a staggering 60 hours. 

This feat shattered the previous record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds, set by Hallvard Haug Flatebo and Sjur Ferkingstad.

Even after being “curled over in pain,” on Thursday according to a charity organisation Gift of Chess, Mr Onakoya did not agree to quit and said “I will play on for the dreams of millions of children.”

The organisation said on Thursday “he was experiencing intense vomiting & stomach pain.”

In 2022, the 29-year-old chess master said in a tweet on X that he would like to be remembered “as the guy who thought it was possible to do great things from a small place,” and he is now paving the way for Children and people who have dreams in the game of chess.

The official duration of Messrs Onakoya and Martinez’s chess game awaits Guinness World Records’ verification and announcement.

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