Lagos, Nigeria – Nigerian chess grandmaster Tunde Onakoya, who recently set a new Guinness World Record for the longest marathon chess game, is gearing up for what he describes as his “hardest match yet.”
On June 11, Onakoya will compete against 12-year-old Women’s Candidate Master Deborah Quickpen in a three-hour chess showdown.
“I have faced many tough opponents over the years, but this will undoubtedly be my greatest challenge to date,” Onakoya stated in a post on social media platform X. “Deborah is truly the future of chess in Nigeria, and I have the utmost respect for her talents and achievements at such a young age.”
Quickpen, who will be representing Nigeria at the upcoming FIDE Chess World Cup in Georgia next month, is widely regarded as the country’s top chess prodigy. Despite her young age, she has already earned the impressive title of Women’s Candidate Master, placing her among the elite players in the nation.
Onakoya’s announcement comes on the heels of his own record-breaking accomplishment last month. On April 20, the grandmaster successfully set a new Guinness World Record for the longest marathon chess game, surpassing the previous record of 56 hours and 9 minutes set by Norwegian players in 2018.
In a celebratory post on X, Onakoya expressed his excitement about the feat, stating, “We have done it. We’re pushing to 60 hours guys. We’re not stopping yet. Let’s keep going.” The grandmaster’s attempt was driven by a cause to raise funds and awareness for providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children across Africa.
The highly anticipated match between Onakoya and Quickpen is set to take place on June 11 and is expected to draw significant attention from chess enthusiasts and supporters of youth development in Nigeria.
