₦airaland Forum

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has hailed Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums, Tunde Onakoya, for setting a new 64-hour chess marathon record.

In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Sanwo-Olu celebrated the victory as not just a personal achievement but a proud moment for Lagos and the entire nation.

Governor Sanwo-Olu commended Tunde’s unwavering dedication and perseverance, describing the achievement as a testament to his incredible talent and commitment to the game of chess.

Sanwo-Olu also gave a special shout-out to Ferdinand, a young chess enthusiast he had recently met, whose passion for the game and strategic thinking left a lasting impression.

The governor also took the opportunity to recognise the achievements of children from the #ChessInSlums initiative, along with Jamiu Boluwatife, who won the ICN Chess Championship, and participants from the Chess Tournament during the 2025 United Nations Games in New York.

He wrote, “Hearty congratulations to #Tunde_OD for achieving a remarkable milestone by setting a Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

“This is not just a personal achievement, but a proud moment for all of us. Tunde’s perseverance and commitment to the game truly inspire everyone around him, and this accomplishment highlights his incredible talent.

He wrote, “Hearty congratulations to #Tunde_OD for achieving a remarkable milestone by setting a Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

“This is not just a personal achievement, but a proud moment for all of us. Tunde’s perseverance and commitment to the game truly inspire everyone around him, and this accomplishment highlights his incredible talent.

“I also want to give a special shout-out to Ferdinand, whom I had the pleasure of meeting not long ago. His passion for chess and strategic thinking left a lasting impression on me. It’s inspiring to see children like him push boundaries and showcase their skills on a grand stage.

“I also have to mention the other children from #chessinslums and Jamiu Boluwatife who won the ICN Chess Championship and the Chess Tournament during the 2025 United Nations Games in New York. They all represent the best of our community, and I am confident that they will continue to achieve great things in the future.

“Once again, congratulations Tunde and all our champions. Your achievements are a source of pride for Lagos and a reminder that with determination and talent, we can reach all corners of the world.”

Onakoya, alongside his U.S. counterpart, Shawn Martinez, has officially set a new Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon of 64 hours.

PUNCH Online reports that the chess marathon, which took place at the iconic Times Square in New York City, began on Wednesday, April 17, and concluded on Sunday, April 20.

At one point during the challenge, Martinez’s wife brought their newborn twins to the site, offering a touching family moment amid the intense competition.”

tega192:
Nigeria has won the bandit record of the year , Guinness should give tinubu a record too for his incompetence in security

clefstone:
This is celebration of mediocrity just as the Hilda Baci's underwhelming record that has since been broken and rebroken by others within a short period.

This man is not the best chess player in Nigeria, has never been the best chess player in Nigeria and his peak world ranking is #2197(according to Wikipedia). Like Baci, his record is basically staying up for long hours doing a particular stuff. It's not genius and it can be broken the next week by anyone that can do that stuff and is willing to stress themselves for 3 days (someone holds a record for hugging trees)

I am not hating but that these unstimulating records get so much national attention and high end recognition from a governor tells a lot about us - and it isn't good

clefstone:
This is celebration of mediocrity just as the Hilda Baci's underwhelming record that has since been broken and rebroken by others within a short period.

This man is not the best chess player in Nigeria, has never been the best chess player in Nigeria and his peak world ranking is #2197(according to Wikipedia). Like Baci, his record is basically staying up for long hours doing a particular stuff. It's not genius and it can be broken the next week by anyone that can do that stuff and is willing to stress themselves for 3 days (someone holds a record for hugging trees)

I am not hating but that these unstimulating records get so much national attention and high end recognition from a governor tells a lot about us - and it isn't good

Crzbshp:
Please what's your chess ELO that gives you such authority on this topic.
Your comment is so hilariously wrong I really don't know where to start.

1. You say his highest rating from Wikipedia is 2197 and claim that is mediocre. MY GUY if that was true do you know how good you have to be to be rated that high against literal billions of people? That would literally put him above 99.9% percent of people on the whole globe.
Also, that rating isn't his ranking as you said. It's his rating. ELO ratings function differently from ranking with the higher number denoting better ability in the case of an ELO rating. For context Magnus Carlson, the number one chess player right now and some say the best ever, had a peak rating of around 2882. To be only around 700 points behind someone considered the greatest of all time in something is very much a great achievement.

2. Saying someone else can do what he did and therefore he shouldn't be celebrated is a disingenuous and terrible argument. If it was so easy, why didn't someone do it earlier.
If for example you fight off people trying to kidnap your family and get injured, does that mean we shouldn't celebrate you because someone else can and has already done that? No you would deserve your plaudits for your achievement same as him. Whenever his record is broken, that person should also be celebrated even if someone subsequently breaks it again.

Please don't just dismiss someones efforts when you don't know where they have come from and what they had to do to get where they are.

Bless

clefstone:
you are correct about the ranking/rating thing but that itself shows that Mr Onakoya is not a Chess master. He is a good Chess player, yes but that's it. I would appreciate it if you would enlighten me about what's great about his GWR