Nigerian chess champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has established a new world record for a 64-hour chess marathon.
Onakoya, alongside his chess partner Shawn Martinez, set this record in Times Square, New York, surpassing the previous record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, which was held by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad since June 2024.
The marathon, which was intended to last 70 hours, commenced on April 17 and spanned four continuous days of play.
In a post on his X account, where he shared images of this achievement, Onakoya stated, “It is possible to do great things from a small place.”
The official Guinness World Records certificate, shared by Onakoya, confirmed the new record, stating, “The longest chess marathon was achieved by Tunde Onakoya (Nigeria) and Shawn Martinez (Puerto Rico) in Times Square, New York, New York, USA from 17 to 20 April 2025.”
At 30 years old, Onakoya gained international fame in April 2024 for completing a 60-hour chess marathon with US chess master Martinez and had previously indicated that his latest endeavor was not solely focused on setting records.