Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya, who is currently attempting to break the Guinness World Record in a marathon chess match at New York City’s Times Square, faced a challenging moment on Thursday as he battled intense vomiting and stomach pain.
News About Nigeria reports that despite the physical discomfort, Onakoya refused to quit the gruelling challenge.
Onakoya, along with his United States counterpart Shawn Martinez, embarked on an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Onakoya will play for 58 hours without losing a single game.
The marathon, which began on April 17 and is set to conclude on April 19, permits only five-minute breaks per hour.
Onakoya announced his participation on April 5, stating his motivation as supporting the dreams of millions of children across Africa who lack access to education.
The current record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds was set by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad of Norway in November 2018.
In a post on social media platform X, Gift of Chess, a New York-based non-profit organisation dedicated to distributing chess sets worldwide, revealed that Onakoya was determined to continue despite his physical discomfort.
“That’s #Tunde_OD curled over in pain. Yesterday, we did not think we could continue, as he was experiencing intense vomiting and stomach pain.
“When given the choice to quit, he said, ‘I will play on for the dreams of millions of children.’
“Tunde has never quit on the kids. Let’s not quit on him. Everyone who has liked a photo, we ask you now to donate.”
The ultimate goal of Onakoya’s marathon is to raise $1,000,000 to support educational initiatives for underprivileged children across the continent.
