社区黑料

This article is one in a series at 社区黑料 that profiles the heroes, victories, success stories and random acts of kindness found at schools all across America. Read more of our recent inspiring profiles at The74Million.org/series/inspiring.

The champion of this year鈥檚 New York State K-3 chess tournament is a rather unlikely competitor.

He鈥檚 an 8-year-old Nigerian refugee who moved to the U.S. just two years ago. And he learned to play this deeply analytical and strategic game only last year 鈥� while living in a homeless shelter.

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But Tanitoluwa Adewumi 鈥� Tani 鈥� won the championship title for his age division in March because of his continued determination in both developing his chess prowess and overcoming adversity.

Fleeing religious persecution in Nigeria, the Christian family of five in 2017.

https://www.facebook.com/PS116/photos/pcb.10156523321084032/10156523315849032/?type=3&theater

A pastor connected them with a homeless shelter and the local elementary school, P.S. 116. There, Tani took a keen interest in the school鈥檚 chess club.

After his mother, Oluwatoyin, emailed the administrators and explained the family鈥檚 financial situation, the club鈥檚 leader, Russell Makofsky, waived the membership fee.

https://www.facebook.com/Pushingpawns/photos/a.1953941877996325/2238647649525745/?type=3

Tani learned the rules of the game, and though he started as the club鈥檚 lowest-performing player, according to , he quickly rose to the top of the ranks. His rating is now 1587; for comparison, the world鈥檚 best player is at 2845.

Tani 鈥渋s so driven,鈥� coach Shawn Martinez told the paper, 鈥渉e does 10 times more chess puzzles than the average kid.鈥�

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After school, the third-grader would set out his chess board and arrange the pieces on the floor of the homeless shelter. Every Saturday, his mom would bring him to three-hour practice sessions, and in the evenings his father, Kayode, would let him use the family鈥檚 laptop to further hone his skill.

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Though Tani鈥檚 father works two jobs and his mother is working to become a health aide, Makofsky told , 鈥溾�楾ani is rich beyond measure鈥� in the strength, love and support of his family.鈥�

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The school also championed Tani鈥檚 chess abilities. According to , a student gave him a chess clock, and the Times reported that P.S. 116 Principal Jane Hsu held a pep rally in Tani鈥檚 honor.

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鈥淚t鈥檚 an inspiring example of how life鈥檚 challenges do not define a person,鈥� Hsu told the Times.

When tournament time came, Tani cemented his reputation as a chess prodigy. He didn鈥檛 lose a single game in the tournament, according to , and brought home a trophy half his size.

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But Tani鈥檚 heartwarming tale didn鈥檛 end there.

Makofsky set up a account with the goal of raising $50,000 to 鈥渟ecure a home where [Tani] can continue on his journey.鈥�

https://www.facebook.com/russell.makofsky/posts/10100955105687824

Since the account鈥檚 creation on March 15, the goal has been met four times over, raising more than $246,000.

And now, Tani has a home.

A explained that a dozen readers offered the family free housing, immigration lawyers offered pro-bono assistance, and three film companies are hoping to make a movie of Tani鈥檚 compelling story.

Tani鈥檚 family chose a two-bedroom apartment close to his school. The Times reported that Tani pranced around the empty apartment exclaiming, 鈥淚 have a home!鈥� 鈥淚 have a home!鈥�

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Though Tani has been offered scholarships to three private schools, his family decided to keep him in his current school, where he learned to play the game that changed his life. They are considering scholarship offers for middle school.

Tani鈥檚 story even captured the attention of former president Bill Clinton, who invited Tani and his family to meet him in his Harlem office.

Instead of buying furniture for their new apartment, the Adewumi family is using the GoFundMe donations to help Nigerian refugees struggling in the United States 鈥� as they themselves were not too long ago.

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鈥淕od has already blessed me,鈥� Kayode Adewumi told . 鈥淚 want to release my blessing to others.鈥�

According to , Tani is preparing for the national championship in May. If he wins, he鈥檒l be the .

Checkmate.

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