At age 7, he was homeless refugee in America; at 10, he s a chess master It s a compelling story, but see the whole board.
By Nicholas Kristof New York Times May 10, 2021 11:11am Text size Copy shortlink:
Once upon a time, a 7-year-old refugee living in a homeless shelter sat down at a chess board in school and learned how to play. His school then agreed to his mom s plea to waive fees for him to join the chess club.
The boy wasn t any good at first. His initial chess rating was 105, barely above the lowest possible rating, 100.
But the boy, Tanitoluwa Adewumi better known as Tani enjoyed chess as an escape from the chaos of the homeless shelter, and his skills progressed in stunning fash
Homeless Nigerian Boy Becomes U.S. Chess Champion at 10-Years-old After Immigrating to US
Kayode Adewumii
Tanitoluwa Adewumi more commonly known by his nickname “Tani” may be just 10 years old, but he’s already become an official Chess National Master, with an impressive rating of 2223.
The 28th-youngest person ever to achieve such a title in a States, Tani was only introduced to the game of chess a few years ago, while living with his family in a homeless shelter.
In 2017 Tani, his parents, and brother became refugees after fleeing Nigeria to escape violent attacks on Christian families like theirs. They began residing in a shelter in Manhattan.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi is a 10 year old boy in New York.
He is the U.S. National Chess Master.
At the age of 8 he won the New York State Chess championship while living in a homeless shelter.
When word got out that he and his family were living in a shelter, a GoFundMe was started that raised $254,000 that his family used for the home they are currently living in.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi has become a National Chess Master at the age of 10.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Kristof/Twitter
Tanitoluwa Adewumi, the young New Yorker of Nigerian descent who came into national and international prominence about two years ago after he was discovered as a homeless chess genius, is now reportedly a United States National Chess Master.
- Advertisement -
The prodigy is still only 10-years-old and a fifth-grader. Adewumi’s new status was reported by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, one of Adewumi’s earliest media hype men. He also reiterated that the former Nigerian refugee still has a roof over his head as well.