By Muminat Ajide
Nigerian chess master Tunde Onokoya recently made headlines for his Guinness World Record attempt for the longest chess marathon, spending an impressive 60 hours in non-stop chess action as he teamed up with Shawn Martinez who is a United States coach chess master in attempt to break the record together
On April 12, 2024, Onokoya took to his social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, to announce his ambitious goal: “I will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon in the heart of Times Square, New York City, for 60 hours without losing a game.”
In his statement, he expressed his motivation: “Doing this for the dreams of millions of children across the world without access to education.”
The chess marathon took place in Times Square Plaza, outside Olive Garden at 47th and Broadway. It was organized with the aim of raising funds for children living in slums and also for chess education globally.To facilitate this, a Tiltify account was set up for the cause.
“Our goal to distribute 1 million chess sets globally by 2030, using chess as a simple tool to expand access to education,” states the account page.
After completing the grueling chess marathon in the early hours of Saturday, April 20, 2024, BlackBox Nigeria gathered that the total funds raised fell short of the intended target. The final amount raised stood at $107,822.96, significantly below the ambitious goal of $1,000,000.
While writing this report, other funds not channelled through the Tiltify account has not been considered.
