Onakoya thanks American counterpart after 60-hour chess marathon record

Nigerian chess grandmaster, Tunde Onakoya, has commended his American counterpart, Shawn Martinez for standing by him throughout the 60-hour duration of his world record-breaking quest.

Martinez, the United States national chess master, stood as Onakoya's opponent for the Guinness World Record feat at Times Square in New York City.

The two chess enthusiasts competed for 60 hours, surpassing the target of 58 hours set by the Nigerian to eclipse the previous world record.

Showing his appreciation in a Twitter post on Saturday, April 20, 2024, Onakoya said his achievement would have been impossible without Martinez's contributions.

He said the two chess heads trumped competition to show the world the meaning of true collaboration.

"Dear Shawn (@CoachShawnMar), there’s no world record without you. Together, for 60 hours, we showed the world what true collaboration means, trumping competition.

"We picked each other up during tough moments, both mentally and physically. And you did it with so much grace. This is a public acknowledgement and gratitude to you, my brother. Congratulations on our shared achievement," Onakoya wrote.

Shawn Martinez is the Chess Master Tunde Onakoya is playED against to break world record [Chess in Slums] Pulse Nigeria

Onakoya makes history

Onakoya hit the 58-hour mark around 2:30 am Nigerian time on Saturday to smash the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes set in 2018 by Norwegian duo, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.

The Chess in Slum Africa founder had embarked on the quest to raise $1m for underprivileged African children to access education.

Meanwhile, after meeting his target, the Nigerian decided to continue playing for an extra two hours to put some daylight between his time and the old record.

Tinubu congratulates Onakoya

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the chess maestro on his world record achievement.

In a statement on Saturday, the President described Onakoya's achievement as a "rare feat," thanking him for displaying the resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity for which Nigerian youths are known.