Tani Adewumi Becomes US National Chess Master
Tani Adewumi, a Nigerian refugee in the US, has won a chess competition to officially become a national chess master at 10.
Tani, whose family fled Nigeria over the Boko Haram crisis, came into limelight in 2019 after winning the 2019 New York chess championship while living in a homeless center on religious asylum.
His story touched hearts and a GoFundMe page was created for him. A total of $254,448 was raised, which helped the chess prodigy and his family to move into an apartment.
Tani’s success continued and it was announced earlier in the year that he will compete in the Chess Club of Fairfield County (CCFC).
The competition was held on May 1 and Tani snagged the national title.
Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for New York Times, confirmed the latest feat on Twitter.
According to the US chess federation, the national chess master title is for any player who reaches a “2200 rating”.
The US body overseeing chess co.