10-Year-Old Homeless Nigerian Boy Becomes US Chess Champion
- Florencia Lombardi
- May 14, 2021
- 2 min read
10-year-old Tanitoluwa Adewumi, commonly known by his nickname “Tani” has become an official Chess National Master. Despite his young age, Tani has an impressive rating of 2223.
After fleeing Nigeria in 2017 to escape violent attacks on Christian families, Tani and his family became refugees. When they first arrived, they lived in a shelter in Manhattan.
Tani attended elementary school with the help of a pastor. While at school, his teacher, Russel Makofsky, taught him how to play chess. The game immediately caught Tani’s attention, and he soon started playing with his brother after class.
The school’s chess club was also taught by Makofsky. Although Tani could not afford the program fees, his teacher overlooked the cost and welcomed his student into the club. With his peers, he prepared for tournaments and worked on his gameplay.
In his first competition, Tani got the lowest score. However, he did not give up and continued practicing. One year later, he beat 73 of New York’s best players in grades K–3 and took home the state championship trophy.
For the sake of getting Tani’s family out of a homeless shelter and into an apartment, his chess coach set up a GoFundMe after his amazing victory. They accept donations from all over the world to help them out during this troublesome time.
Tani watched the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” which follows an orphan girl and an outsider who proves to be a chess prodigy. When asked about it, he answered, “I definitely did see myself in it.”
Tani, once a Nigerian refugee turned New York State chess champion, shows how anything is possible if you work hard, no matter your circumstances
Bibliography
Blair, E. (2020, March 12th) This Young Chess Champion Is 'Not Scared Of Anything On That Board' [Photograph]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/03/12/813699921/this-young-chess-champion-is-not-scared-of-anything-on-that-board
Eyewitness News (2021, May 10th) Meet America's youngest Chess Master, 10-year-old Tani. ABC 7 New York https://abc7ny.com/chess-10-year-old-champion-homeless-shelter/10607697/
Good news network (2021, May 10th) Homeless Nigerian Boy Becomes Chess Champion of the United States at 10-Years-old. Good news network.
Kristof, N. (2021, May 8th) Remember the Homeless Chess Champion? The Boy Is Now a Chess Master. The New York Times.
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