64 Hours, Guinness World Record! Tunde Onakoya & Shawn Martinez Take Chess History to New Heights

Credit: Tunde Onakoya/Instagram

There’s some exciting news live from Times Square in New York City. Tunde Onakoya has officially broken the record for the longest chess marathon, clocking in a total of 64 hours of nonstop play. He’s now surpassed the previous 61-hour record set by two Norwegian players.

“For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD,” Tunde shared with joy. The chess master and founder of Chess in Slums isn’t done yet, his sights are still set on reaching 70 hours alongside his playing partner, US National Master Shawn Martinez.

With this new 64-hour milestone, Tunde hasn’t just beaten the Norwegian record; he’s also passed his own personal best of 60 hours, which he set in 2024. But here’s the part that makes your heart pause: this isn’t just about breaking records or merely a feat of endurance. Tunde is playing to raise $1 million to build a free school for homeless children in Nigeria.

He’s just a few hours away from hitting that 70-hour goal. Are you counting down?

We did the impossible and gave the world something new to believe in.
Official record holders of the Longest Chess Marathon for 64 hours.

We did it pic.twitter.com/ocIuBtg9rB

— Tunde Onakoya (@Tunde_OD) April 20, 2025