Tunde Onakoya, a chess mastermind and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has just wrapped up a truly inspiring challenge! He attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon without a loss, aiming to surpass the existing mark of 56 hours and 9 minutes. As of this report, on Saturday, April 20th, there hasn't been any official confirmation from the Guinness World Records social media pages about Tunde's attempt.
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00:00 My name is Tunde Onukoya. I'm a professional chess player and the National Master of Chess in Nigeria.
00:05 I'm also the convener of Chess in Slums Africa.
00:07 Tunde Onukoya, a chess mastermind and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has completed an incredible
00:15 feature. He embarked on a journey to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess
00:20 marathon without a loss, aiming to surpass the existing mark of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37
00:27 seconds. And in the early hours of today, Saturday, April 28, 2024, Tunde crossed that mark.
00:34 This record attempt isn't just about personal glory. Tunde is playing for a cause,
00:40 to raise $1 million for children's education across Africa through his initiative, Chess in Slums
00:46 Africa. You know, what a lot of people don't know is that people consider chess to be just a board
00:52 game. It is so much more than that. You know, for the mind of a child, it is an educational resource.
00:57 And teaching chess to a child gives access to their minds. And when you have access to the mind
01:03 of a child, you can imprint values that will stay with them for a really long time. So I thought
01:08 about children like this and how, you know, because they are being so shielded and marginalized, you
01:13 know, from starting opportunities or from being educated, you know, there isn't so much to feed
01:20 their minds with. So I thought about chess as an alternative, even if they can't be in school,
01:25 you know, and it was just that. I didn't know if it was going to help them come out of poverty or
01:30 if it was going to help them get back to school. So just, okay, just get them off the streets so
01:35 they're not just idle or so they don't get into drugs and crimes and all of that to engage their
01:40 minds. Following Guinness World Record guidelines, Tunde faced a worthy opponent, an American chess
01:50 champion, Sean Martinez, ensuring continuous play throughout the marathon.
01:57 Growing up, I grew up in a difficult place. I grew up in a slum community in a place in
02:10 the corridor called the Salado. And there was a time I couldn't go to school because
02:15 my parents didn't have a lot of money and they couldn't provide the very basic things for us.
02:19 And in that time when I was at home, you know, I got to learn chess. I got to discover the game
02:24 of chess. And from then, you know, through the years, chess gave me a lot of opportunities.
02:31 You know, it gave me a scholarship opportunity to go to school, you know, and it exposed me to a
02:38 world that was different, you know, from where I grew up. And because I had the gift of chess,
02:44 you know, I saw the world differently and practically saved me from where I grew up. And
02:48 I mean, three years ago, I started thinking about what to do, you know, for other children like me
02:54 in places, you know, like that, you know, to also give them something to be hopeful about. So yeah,
02:58 so that was how it all started. And the clock ticked and hours turned into days, physical and
03:08 mental exhaustion threatening to derail his mission. Yet, fueled by his passion for the game
03:13 and the course he represents, Tunde prevailed. With remarkable resilience, Tunde Onukoya crossed
03:22 the 60-hour mark 4.30am this morning. As at the time of this report, there hasn't been
03:28 any official confirmation from the Guinness World Record social pages about Tunde's attempt.
03:32 Tunde's journey is a testament to the human spirit's incredible strength and the power of
03:46 education to change lives. Through his love for chess, he has not only conquered the board,
03:51 but also ignited a movement for a brighter future. One checkmate at a time, one empowered child at a
03:58 time.
04:11 Visit our website at www.guardian.ng or follow us on social media @guardiannigeria across our
04:17 social media pages for other interesting stories. I am Loyce Ogunii for Guardian TV. Bye for now.