Meet Nigerian Teen Who Fled Boko Haram Terror Is Set Become Youngest Chess Grandmaster Ever
Alfred Kadiri
Tani Adewumi is on the cusp of becoming one of chess’ youngest-ever grandmasters just five years after fleeing terrorism in Nigeria, reports BSNSports.com.ng.
It is an incredible story that is set to be turned into a Hollywood film with Tani, 12, admitting he was ‘trash’ as he tried the new hobby after arriving in the United States.
The family were forced to leave their lives behind after Boko Haram terrorists pointed a gun at mother Oluwatoyin’s head, simply because her husband Kayode was a devout Catholic.
She recalls the frightening tale while her kids were in the other room before admitting they faced a ‘life or death’ decision, given an escape route by Kayode’s uncle living in Dallas.
The family later moved into a homeless shelter in New York where Tami asked his parents if he could join a local chess club – simply because it was the cheapest option available.
Tani entered his first tournament with a rating of 105 – the lowest being 100 in chess – but spent around 10 hours a day practicing on a second-hand board and his dad’s computer. Less than a year later, he was state champion.
“I lost all my games — 10 in a row. We don’t know much about chess in our country. They don’t play much. They play football,” he told the New York Post.
Then it just started coming to me. It’s like a magnet sticking to metal. It’s like when a tennis ball comes to a tennis racquet, you just have to hit it back.”
After becoming state champion in 2019, he went on to finish second in a national competition in Florida in the same year. His rating has jumped considerably since then and currently stands at 2364.
The rating needed to become a grandmaster is 2500, with the record for the youngest player to do so at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days. Tani turned 12 in September and hopes to emulate chess legend Bobby Fischer.
“When I play a game, it still really matters to me. I don’t do this for people. I do it for myself and my family,” he adds.
