Nigerian Chess Grandmaster’s Gratitude To American Counterpart For Record-Breaking Feat

Tunde Onakoya, the Nigerian chess grandmaster has expressed gratitude to his American counterpart, Shawn Martinez, for supporting him during his record-breaking 60-hour endeavor.

During the Guinness World Record attempt at Times Square in New York City, Martinez, the national chess master of the United States, served as Onakoya’s opponent.

Both chess enthusiasts battled for 60 hours, exceeding the Nigerian’s target of 58 hours and surpassing the previous world record.

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, Onakoya took to Twitter to express his gratitude, acknowledging that Martinez’s contributions were crucial to his achievement.

He emphasized how their collaboration surpassed competition, demonstrating the essence of true teamwork to the world.

“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.

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.

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