NEW YORK (AP) — A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate is attempting to play chess nonstop for 58 hours in New York City’s Times Square to break the global record for the longest chess marathon.
Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to raise $1 million for children’s education across Africa. He is playing against Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, in line with Guinness World Record guidelines that any attempt to break the record must be made by two players who would play continuously for the entire duration.
Onakoya had played chess for 42 hours by 10:00 a.m. GMT on Friday. Support is growing online and at the scene, where a blend of African music is keeping onlookers and supporters entertained amid cheers and applause.
The current chess marathon record is 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, achieved in 2018 by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, both from Norway.
Sheetz convenience store chain hit with discrimination lawsuit
School buildings: Central Auckland school left with no gym for years
Snake on a plane! Footage captures the moment a SERPENT emerges above an overhead bin mid
China crackdown on Tiananmen Square commemorations extends to Hong Kong
Former NHL star Jaromir Jagr scores in his first game since turning 52
Red Sea attacks: Sheep and cattle left stranded off Australia's coast
China tells Biden to reverse 'dangerous practice' on Taiwan world politics
Small bump in Covid vaccine uptake, but still well below 2021 peak
Prabowo Subianto wins 2024 Indonesian presidential election
Hong Kong Book Fair: Two local publishers keep titles on sale despite security law complaints
Paris Olympics opening ceremony on river Seine will last nearly 4 hours
China celebrates 100 years of Communist Party