Pa Onakoya, the father of Nigerian chess champion Tunde Onakoya, revealed that he was against his son playing chess and never imagined it would bring him fame.
He recalled that as a child, whenever he caught Tunde playing chess, he would remove the game to encourage him to focus on his studies.
On April 17, Onakoya began his attempt attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
On April 20, he set a new record for the longest-ever chess marathon by playing for 60 hours at Times Square in New York, United States.
In a video posted on Oyindamola’s X account on Wednesday, his father praised the chess master for his perseverance.
He stated, “To me, Babatunde Onakoya is an angel because he always succeeds in whatever he sets his mind to.
“When Tunde was young, I used to clear away his chess set because I wanted him to concentrate on school. I never realized it would make him famous.
“I would advise parents not to discourage their children from pursuing their passions. I wanted Tunde to become a doctor, but I never knew that chess would bring him such fame. I thank God.”
Onakoya surpassed the previous record set by Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, who played for 56 hours and 9 minutes in 2018.
