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.”
Nigerian singer Davido speaks on plans after music. The singer revealed in a recent interview that if he leaves music, he would like to build a therapy centre for successful people.
He centered this idea on people that go from grace to grass “If there was one thing I could build, I would build a centre for people that have been popular and very successful before, a centre for them to have therapy, because it’s crazy being on top of the world and the next moment you’re not.”
He also spoke in regard to Ronaldo that despite his wins and efforts, some people still insult him “So like, that’s my greatest fear. I work too hard for me to come and spoil it with something, so I always ask God, like, God, just tell me the right time to, you know? But I think that’s the only thing I’m scared of.”
Nigerian singer Asake speaks on his music career and stated how growing up in Lagos shaped his career and experiences.
In a recent interview, the singer shared how Lagos groomed him and taught him how to live:
“Lagos taught me how to live like a man. Lagos inspired most of my songs,” he said.
“I’m happy because there are a lot of people who make music out there and a lot of people who are more talented than me. I’m thankful to God that I’m able to use the talent He gave me not only locally but also globally. So for that, I give all thanks to God.”
Nigerian reality star and actor Adeoluwa Okusaga, also known as Saga, shares that kissing scenes on screen are not something actors actually enjoy.
The actor shared in a recent interview that kissing is usually scripted and often has no real emotion attached to it.
“It is not easy to kiss another actor. It is weird. I have not really had any good onscreen kiss. It is weird having people invade your mouth with saliva.
“It is not something we enjoy. People think we enjoy it, but we don’t. We are just doing it for the story most times. If I had my way, I won’t kiss anyone in a film… There was a day I kissed four different girls on set.”
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