Tunde Onakoya, the new Guinness World Record holder for the longest unbroken chess marathon, has revealed that he contracted food poisoning during his record-breaking campaign, according to TalkTalk Nigeria Sports Extra.

Onakoya's 58-hour quest to win the Guinness World Record for the longest unbroken chess marathon began on Wednesday, April 17 at 10 a.m. in Times Square, New York, and ended around 12:40 a.m. (04:40 GMT) on Saturday.

The Nigerian chess master entered the marathon with the goal of raising $1 million for children's education in Africa.

He had planned to play the royal game for 58 hours, but he proceeded until 12:40am (04:40GMT) on Saturday, breaking the previous chess marathon record of 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds set in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebo and Sjur Ferkingstad.

During the record-breaking marathon game, Onakoya competed against Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, in accordance with Guinness World Records criteria, which require two players to play continuously for the entire length.

Despite encountering health issues during the marathon, such as severe vomiting and abdominal discomfort, Onakoya remained determined. When given the option of quitting, he replied, "I will play on for the dreams of millions of children." His determination has sparked enormous sympathy, with online fans and onlookers at the scene rooting him on.

For every hour of play, Onakoya and his opponent received only a five-minute rest.

In his X post, the 29-year-old stated that he was unable to eat due to food poisoning.


"Catching up on social media now and I've constantly fought back tears," he wrote in a tweet.

"I love you all very much. I'll write a proper post once I find the correct words to explain all of my emotions right now.

"Let me plunge into this jollof rice for now. It's my first meal in over four days. I suffered food poisoning during the race, so I couldn't eat anything but water.

Onakoya is well-known in Nigeria, where he founded the Chess in Slums initiative in 2018 in Ikorodu, on the outskirts of Lagos.

The organization provides a venue for marginalized young people, many of whom do not attend school and labor to support their families, to learn to play chess.