A Chess Champion Is Breaking Barriers At Age 8

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

An 8-year-old boy who lives in a homeless family shelter has become a celebrity after proclaiming himself New York State Chess Champion.

Tanitoluwa Adewumi, better known as Tani, a small Nigerian has won a remarkable victory and does not plan to stop there. "I want to be the youngest [chess] grandmaster," he told The New York Times.

The bold young man has left everyone speechless since, it should be noted, he has not had an easy life.

"It is unheard of for any child, not to mention one at a homeless shelter," Russell Makofsky, who oversees the chess championship, told USA Today.

Tani just learned the game a little over a year ago, the New York times reports.

School chess coach Shawn Martinez saw Tani's potential after seeing him excel playing a few weeks after learning it early last year.

But talent goes hand in hand with training. Tanitoluwa's mother takes him to regular three-hour practice sessions and his father allows him to use a laptop to play chess online.

As the Tanitoluwa story hits national headlines, more people want to help.

Makofsky, who created a GoFundMe page for Tanitoluwa, said the family has received offers for a car, legal services, jobs and even housing.