‘Chess in the slum’ convener and chess coach, Tunde Onakoya who just broke the Guinness World Record a second time, played in New York has shared the challenges experienced at the tail end of the marathon.
Onakoya revealed that his health became a contender but for the slum children all around him, he had to draw inner strength from their presence to keep going.
In his post on X he wrote: “If there was any time during the attempt I almost gave up, it was in the 50th hour. I had started hallucinating. My body was breaking and my Bronchitis had gotten worse.
“But as I looked beside me, there they were-Mary,Mabel,Ivie, Ferdinand and Jamiu playing right beside me right in the heart of Times Square. Children who came from places the world forgets, now standing tall in Times Square and showcasing their talent to the world.
“They were no longer invisible. It was the reminder I needed that my fight was a different one. So I steadied my trembling hands and made the next move.
“The game wasn’t over yet, neither were we…. We made it to the 64th hour. The rest as they say is history.” The chess coach stated.
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