In a world where wars are constant, dictators are flashing nuclear buttons, and elections are volatile and uncertain, it can sometimes be hard to just get through the day without constantly looking over your shoulder. yeah. But for every bad news, there is another good thing happening in this world. Even if it means a Nigerian chess champion is playing to break the world record for consecutive chess marathons to raise money for children's education.
Tunde Onakoya is a 29-year-old Nigerian chess champion and activist who is campaigning to help with the current children's education crisis affecting Africa, particularly his home country of Nigeria. Tunde, who also came from a poor family, had no way out until he discovered the world of chess. Drawing on his experience, he wants to give that opportunity to all children who are struggling economically, and founded Chess in African Slums in 2018 to make that reality a reality. Did. They are an organization that uses chess to inspire, teach and support African children who struggle to access education. To date, they have supported over 200 of her children by providing lifelong scholarships for their education.
Tunde has captivated the world stage this year with his performance at the Digital–Life–Design conference in Berlin in February. Although he faced severe visa problems, he still managed to enter the country and defeated 10 of his opponents at the same time at chess. He's formidable in this game, so it's no wonder he finally went for the world record in the game that saved his life.
So last week, he set up a table in New York City's Times Square and set out to play the longest chess marathon in history. The record he had to beat was 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, set in 2018 by Norway's Halvard Haug Hratebo and Sujour Völkingstad. So he and US chess champion Sean Martinez (because records require the same two players to stay the entire time) started playing last Thursday, sometime on April 18th, and last Saturday , which ended on April 20th, achieved the following records: 60 hours. When he broke the record at 58 hours, Tunde announced on X (officially known as Twitter) that he was aiming for 60 hours and hoped to reach his philanthropic goal of $1 million. He encouraged others to continue donating. Ultimately, he raised about $110,000 for charity.
Despite being lactose intolerant, he faced several challenges during this marathon, including bad weather and accidentally putting milk in his coffee. But he had a lot of support, with hundreds of people coming to show their support throughout the process, including celebrities like Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido and singer Adekunle Gold. They were also given a five-minute break every hour, giving them time to meet and talk to fans in the audience. All in all, these tragic times were beautiful times and a beautiful cause.
