The Gift of Chess, a New York-based non-profit organization that aims to provide chess sets globally, has disclosed that Nigerian chess expert Tunde Onakoya did not give up despite feeling very sick on Thursday. He experienced severe vomiting and stomach pain during the ongoing marathon but chose not to quit.
Onakoya and his United States counterpart, Shawn Martinez, are both trying to set a new record for the longest chess marathon at New York City's famous Times Square, which is set to conclude on Friday, April 19.
Gift of Chess stated on X, “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.”
Onakoya’s goal is to engage in uninterrupted play for 58 hours against his opponent, Martinez, as the purpose of the attempt is to raise $1,000,000 to empower more children across Africa.
