Entertainment
Tunde Onakoya Breaks Chess Marathon World Record to Support Homeless Kids
Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon. He surpassed the previous record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds. This was done with the help of his chess partner, Shawn Martinez. They crossed the 62-hour mark early Sunday morning, April 20, at Times Square, New York City. Now, they are aiming for a 70-hour goal, which is set to finish later today.
“We’ve officially broken the record!” Onakoya celebrated on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, sharing the achievement with his followers. The marathon, which began on Wednesday, April 17, is not just a test of endurance. Onakoya sees it as a powerful call to action, aiming to raise awareness and funds for a free school for homeless children in Nigeria.
“If you had 70 hours to change the world, what would you do?” he challenged his audience. “Every move, every hour, is a love letter to children who’ve never known the luxury of a second chance.”
Pictures from the event show Onakoya and Martinez deeply focused under the bright lights of Times Square.
In a touching moment, Martinez’s wife brought their newborn twins to the venue, adding a personal and emotional touch to the marathon. Children also joined for a few hours.
Also, this marks Onakoya’s second attempt at breaking the record. In April 2024, he and Martinez completed a 60-hour marathon. This surpassed the previous 2018 record held by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad. However, another Norwegian duo extended the record to 61 hours in June 2024, briefly taking back the title.
Now, a year later, Onakoya and Martinez are not only reclaiming the record but also hoping to make a long-term impact on vulnerable children across Africa. Proceeds from the event, including sales of exclusive chess sets, will support Onakoya’s vision of building “the largest free school for homeless children in Nigeria.”
“No child should have to sacrifice their childhood for survival,” Onakoya emphasized. “No dream should be buried under the weight of poverty.”
Popular Nigerian singer Folarin Falana, known as Falz, has denied being in a relationship with controversial crossdresser Bobrisky amid ongoing legal battles with social media critic VeryDarkMan (VDM). Last year, VDM leaked what he claimed was a phone conversation between Falz and Bobrisky while the singer was in prison. In response, Falz filed a defamation lawsuit against VDM, sparking widespread rumors about his personal life.
In a recent interview with Arise TV, Falz gave an update on the case, revealing that VDM has yet to present a defense. “The court dismissed their preliminary objection about jurisdiction, so now they have to respond properly or the court will rule in our favor,” he explained.
Addressing the rumors about Bobrisky, Falz clarified that he never had a relationship with the crossdresser. “Bobrisky reached out to me on Instagram asking for help while involved in a case. Like many others, I listened and tried to offer support out of compassion. I didn’t expect anything beyond that,” he said. Reflecting on the experience, Falz added, “Maybe I’ll be more cautious about who I help in the future, but it’s important to help when you can.”
Rapper and singer Folarin Falana, better known as Falz, has stood by his view that fornication isn’t a sin in the religion he follows. He recently stirred up controversy online after sharing on X that he doesn’t believe premarital sex is wrong. His post drew heavy criticism from both Christians and Muslims, many of whom cited religious texts to dispute his opinion.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, Falz addressed the backlash, making it clear that he wasn’t speaking from a Christian or Islamic perspective. According to him, he now follows what he calls the “religion of love.” He explained that he no longer identifies as a Christian and that within his belief system, consensual sex between two unmarried adults isn’t seen as sinful.
“I wasn’t talking from a Christian point of view,” he said. “I follow the religion of love, and in that, I don’t see fornication as a sin. I questioned it — who exactly is it offending? These are two adults, not married, engaging in something consensual. I don’t see a problem.” Falz reaffirmed that his beliefs have shifted and that he no longer practices Christianity.
Nollywood actress Angela Okorie laments to bloggers about the quality of her photos taken and shared online.
The actress takes to social media to address bloggers speaking on how bad most pictures used of her are, she urged better photos to be used.
“bloggers pls, when posting stuff about me on your pages pls, use a good phone, cos I don’t understand why people will see me in real life and testify how good I look and my skin looks, then y’all are using wack ass phones to record me, I don’t like it.
Stop it now, I look good even in a broken mirror
No matter how you guys try to make me look in ur wack ass pages, I fu*king look good. Give me some credit. Okay bye. Legit Queen anticipate”.
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