{"id":23277,"date":"2021-11-25T09:58:56","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T15:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=23277"},"modified":"2021-11-25T09:58:56","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T15:58:56","slug":"10-year-old-tanitoluwa-adewumi-is-americas-newest-chess-master","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=23277","title":{"rendered":"10-Year-Old Tanitoluwa Adewumi Is America&#8217;s Newest Chess Master"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"article__headline\">10-year-old Chess Prodigy, Tanitoluwa Adewumi has his sights set on becoming the greatest of all time<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23283\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/TANI-CHESS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2\">\n<div class=\"css-901oao css-bfa6kz r-14j79pv r-18u37iz r-37j5jr r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">@MyNameIsTani<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__summary\"><strong>&#8220;Tani is the best 10 year old in the United States, hands-down. In the U.S. we probably have two a generation. Two or three kids (this good) every 20 years maybe.&#8221;<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"article__lead-asset\">\n<div class=\"video\" data-module=\"video\" data-stream=\"https:\/\/video.tegna-media.com\/assets\/KSDK\/videos\/28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0\/28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0.m3u8\" data-float=\"true\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/media.ksdk.com\/assets\/KSDK\/images\/cb9bb1fc-aa6e-47ca-91df-492f3c07d225\/cb9bb1fc-aa6e-47ca-91df-492f3c07d225_1920x1080.jpg\" data-title=\"10-year-old chess prodigy Tani Adewumi is one of the world's best\" data-description=\"This 10 year old is on his way to becoming one of the greatest chess players in the world.\" data-site=\"63\" data-id=\"28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0\" data-dfpposition=\"\" data-mute=\"false\" data-autoplay=\"true\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.ksdk.com\/video\/news\/local\/10-year-old-chess-prodigy-tani-adewumi-is-a-one-of-the-worlds-best\/63-28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0\" data-origin=\"clipping\" data-section=\"news\" data-subsection=\"local\" data-subcategory=\"local\" data-topic=\"\" data-subtopic=\"\" data-captions=\"https:\/\/video.tegna-media.com\/assets\/KSDK\/videos\/28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0\/28169e5b-f1af-4796-9329-11c465d813e0_vtt.vtt\" data-related-playlist-id=\"jeSq4jWD\" data-related-media-id=\"1h9MuSBb\" data-use-trending=\"true\" data-recency=\"2\" data-is-watch-player=\"false\" data-is-live-now=\"false\" data-is-ugc=\"false\" data-ugc-preroll-disabled=\"true\" data-duration=\"156\" data-disable-preroll-at-duration=\"0\" data-disable-preroll=\"false\" data-publica-id=\"9336\" data-media-tailor-enabled=\"true\" data-newscast-preroll-disabled=\"false\" data-initialized=\"true\" data-state=\"ready\">\n<div class=\"video__ratio-enforcer\">\n<div class=\"video__ratio-enforced\">\n<div class=\"video__inner video__inner_docked_true\">\n<div class=\"video__teaser video__teaser_visible_false\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"video__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/media.ksdk.com\/assets\/KSDK\/images\/cb9bb1fc-aa6e-47ca-91df-492f3c07d225\/cb9bb1fc-aa6e-47ca-91df-492f3c07d225_1920x1080.jpg\" data-asset-fallback=\"default\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__body\">\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>ST. LOUIS \u2014 St. Louis had a special guest in town recently to visit the World Chess Hall of Fame. It just so happens this guest will likely find himself in that same hall of fame someday down the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>10-year-old chess player Tanitoluwa (&#8220;Tani&#8221; for short) Adewumi is the definition of a prodigy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>&#8220;Tani is the best 10-year-old in the United States, hands-down,&#8221; St. Louis Chess Club Executive Director Tony Rich said. &#8220;In the U.S. we probably have two a generation&#8230; Two or three kids every 20 years maybe.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>And if that wasn&#8217;t impressive enough, Adewumi&#8217;s story to get to where he&#8217;s at now puts things into an entirely different perspective. Adewumi is a Nigerian refugee who once lived in a New York City homeless shelter. Oh, and he&#8217;s also written four books already. Impressed yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>But it&#8217;s what Adewumi has planned for his future that should put people on notice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>&#8220;I want to become the youngest grandmaster and then probably world champion and break a 2900 rating,&#8221; Adewumi said. &#8220;The highest (rating) is 2882 by Magnus Carlsen.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_embed\">\n<div><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VerQIizQeDI?rel=0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>And as you could probably tell, this kid is not short on confidence. When asked if he thinks he could actually break 2900 to become the all-time best, he doesn&#8217;t hesitate.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>&#8220;Yeah,&#8221; Adewumi casually replied.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>And that kind of success could lead to a big-time payday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>&#8220;At 13 years old he could be making $50,000 a year as a grandmaster,&#8221; Rich said. &#8220;If he continues to improve and becomes one of the best grandmasters in the world&#8230; millions of dollars a year.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__section article__section_type_text utility__text\">\n<p><strong>But for now, it&#8217;s time to practice, which he often does for 10 hours every day, to hone his skills. So one day, he can be back here in St. Louis with his own display in the hall of fame.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n<header>\n<header>\n<h1 id=\"article-title-60a294db367e860101172180\" class=\"tts-root\" lang=\"en\" data-block-id=\"0\"><strong>10-Year-Old Tanitoluwa Adewumi Is America&#8217;s Newest Chess Master<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"responsive-body\" lang=\"en\">\n<figure class=\"image\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn4.dogonews.com\/images\/6955bf0b-7468-4683-89f1-46c31b0af856\/mqdefault.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/strong><figcaption><strong>Tanitoluwa &#8220;Tani&#8221; Adewumi dreams of becoming the world&#8217;s youngest-ever grandmaster (Credit: tanitoluwaadewumifoundation.org)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"tts-root\" data-block-id=\"1\"><strong>Since being introduced to chess at the <span class=\"dictionary\">tender<\/span> age of six, Tanitoluwa &#8220;Tani&#8221; Adewumi has had one goal. He wants to become the world&#8217;s youngest-ever <span class=\"dictionary\">Grandmaster \u2014 <\/span>the highest title a chess player can achieve. The record is currently held by Russian chess player Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, who <span class=\"dictionary\">qualified<\/span> for the title in 2002 at the age of 12 years and seven months.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"tts-root\" data-block-id=\"2\"><strong>On May 1, 2021, the now 10-year-old Tani came one step closer to achieving his dream by becoming the United State&#8217;s newest national chess master. The title, awarded by the United States Chess Federation (USCF), requires players to obtain a rating of between 2200 to 2400. Tani achieved a rating of 2223 by defeating two chess experts, a master, and an international <span class=\"dictionary\">master<\/span>, at the Fairfield County Chess Club Championship <span class=\"dictionary\">tournament<\/span> held in Connecticut. The chess <span class=\"dictionary\">prodigy<\/span>, who practices for up to 11 hours every day after school, says the secret to his success is thinking of his plays ahead of time. Tani told <em>NPR, <\/em>&#8220;On a normal position, I can do up to 20 moves [in advance].&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"plyr__controls__item plyr__progress__container\">\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\"><strong>Tanitoluwa Adewumi<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"vector-body\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-body-content mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-above fn\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Tanitoluwa Adewumi<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/74\/Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg\/220px-Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/74\/Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg\/330px-Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/74\/Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg\/440px-Tanitoluwa_%E2%80%9CTani%E2%80%9D_Adewumi_receiving_Tribeca_Disruptive_Innovation_award.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Tanitoluwa \u201cTani\u201d Adewumi receiving Tribeca Disruptive Innovation award.jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"294\" data-file-width=\"1429\" data-file-height=\"1907\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"infobox-caption\"><strong>Adewumi (left), receiving 2019 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation award as his father applauds<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Full\u00a0name<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>Tanitoluwa Emmanuel Adewumi<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Country<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data adr\"><strong><a title=\"United States\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States\">United States<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Born<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>September 3, 2010<span class=\"noprint ForceAgeToShow\"> (age\u00a011)<\/span><sup id=\"cite_ref-birthdate_1-0\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tanitoluwa_Adewumi#cite_note-birthdate-1\">[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"Nigeria\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nigeria\">Nigeria<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Title<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data note\"><strong>FIDE Master<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"FIDE\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIDE\">FIDE<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Elo rating system\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elo_rating_system\">rating<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/ratings.fide.com\/profile\/30966396\" rel=\"nofollow\">2121<\/a> (November 2021}<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Elo rating system\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elo_rating_system\">Peak\u00a0rating<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>2121 (November 2021)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Tanitoluwa Emmanuel Adewumi (born September 3, 2010) is a <a title=\"Nigerian Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nigerian_Americans\">Nigerian-American<\/a> <a title=\"Chess\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chess\">chess<\/a> player who currently holds the title of <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"FIDE Master\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIDE_Master\">FIDE Master<\/a> (FM). A <a title=\"Chess prodigy\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chess_prodigy\">chess prodigy<\/a>,<sup id=\"cite_ref-2\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> he won the 2019 K-3 <a title=\"New York (state)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_York_(state)\">New York State<\/a> chess championship at the age of 8, after playing the game for only a year, while living with his <a title=\"Refugee\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Refugee\">refugee<\/a> family in a <a title=\"Homeless shelter\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Homeless_shelter\">homeless shelter<\/a> in <a title=\"Manhattan\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manhattan\">Manhattan<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc\" class=\"toc\" role=\"navigation\" aria-labelledby=\"mw-toc-heading\">\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23284\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/TANI-CK.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"275\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong><span id=\"Early_life\" class=\"mw-headline\">Early life<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Tanitoluwa is the son of Kayode James Adewumi (born June 24, 1976, <a title=\"Ado Ekiti\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ado_Ekiti\">Ado Ekiti<\/a>, Nigeria) and Oluwatoyin Kuburat Adewumi (born June 16, 1981, Ado Ekiti). He has a brother, Adesina Austin, who is seven years older.<sup id=\"cite_ref-tanitoluwaadewumifoundation_7-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Kayode used to run a print shop in the Nigerian capital, <a title=\"Abuja\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Abuja\">Abuja<\/a>, with 13 employees, and Oluwatoyin used to work as an accountant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The family is devoutly Christian, and were threatened with violence by the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Islamist\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Islamist\">Islamist<\/a> terrorist organization <a title=\"Boko Haram\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boko_Haram\">Boko Haram<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-npr_8-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> In June 2017, they left Nigeria for the United States and sought <a title=\"Immigration to the United States\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Immigration_to_the_United_States#Asylum_for_refugees\">religious asylum<\/a>. Philip Falayi, a pastor in <a title=\"Queens\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Queens\">Queens<\/a>, New York, gave them temporary accommodation, and connected them with the <a title=\"New York City Department of Homeless Services\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_York_City_Department_of_Homeless_Services\">New York City Department of Homeless Services<\/a>. They were given a place to stay in a <a title=\"Homeless shelter\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Homeless_shelter\">homeless shelter<\/a> in <a title=\"Manhattan\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manhattan\">Manhattan<\/a>. Kayode took work as a dishwasher and as an <a title=\"Uber\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Uber\">Uber<\/a> driver in a <a title=\"Car rental\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Car_rental\">rented car<\/a>, and Oluwatoyin as a <span class=\"nowrap\">cleaner; <\/span> and Tanitoluwa enrolled in <a title=\"List of public elementary schools in New York City\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_public_elementary_schools_in_New_York_City#Region_9:_Manhattan,_the_Bronx\">elementary school P.S. 116<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span id=\"Career\" class=\"mw-headline\">Career<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Austin taught Tanitoluwa a chess-like game called &#8220;Latter&#8221;, using a homemade board and pieces made from <a title=\"Play-Doh\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Play-Doh\">Play-Doh<\/a>. Shawn Martinez, the head chess coach at P.S. 116, introduces students to the game. Tanitoluwa immediately took to it, and wanted to join a club run by 1700-rated coach Russell Makofsky. That would have been expensive; the $330 fee included not only the cost of running the club, but also such things as entries to tournaments, travel, and accommodation. When Adewumi&#8217;s mother told Makofsky of the family&#8217;s financial situation, he waived the fee. In early 2018, Adewumi, who had been assigned the lowest estimated rating of 105, played in his first tournament. A year later, he had accumulated seven trophies. The teachers, now his coaches, were impressed by his dedication and hard work, and by the progress he had made since starting as a novice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On March 9\u201310, 2019, he competed in the 52nd Annual New York State Scholastic Championships (kindergarten-3rd grade division) in <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Saratoga Springs\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saratoga_Springs\">Saratoga Springs<\/a>, New York. He was <a title=\"Seed (sports)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Seed_(sports)\">seeded<\/a> eighth in a field of 74, with an Elo rating of 1473; more than 200 behind the top rated players.<sup id=\"cite_ref-uschess201903_13-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Some of the contestants were from well-to-do families who could afford private coaches. He won the event outright with a score of 5.5\/6 (five wins, one draw, no losses). His style of play is aggressive: his coaches were shocked when in his fourth game he <a title=\"Sacrifice (chess)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sacrifice_(chess)\">sacrificed<\/a> a bishop for a pawn; alarmed, they fed the position into a <a title=\"Chess engine\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chess_engine\">chess engine<\/a> for analysis. It confirmed that the sacrifice was the best move.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On May 1, 2021, at only 10 years old, Adewumi crossed the 2200 Elo rating threshold needed to achieve the official USCF title of <a title=\"Chess title\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chess_title#Master\">National Master<\/a>, making him the 28th-youngest chess player in history ever to do so.<sup id=\"cite_ref-USCFNMtani_17-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In August, 2021, he won the under-12 division of the <a title=\"North American Youth Chess Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/North_American_Youth_Chess_Championship\">North American Youth Chess Championship<\/a>, with a score of 8\/9.<sup id=\"cite_ref-18\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> This means that he became a <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"FIDE Master\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIDE_Master\">FIDE Master<\/a>, having surpassed a FIDE rating of 2100 in November 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span id=\"Reception_and_media\" class=\"mw-headline\">Reception and media<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>In 2019, the story of his winning the New York Scholastics was reported by <a title=\"Nicholas Kristof\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nicholas_Kristof\">Nicholas Kristof<\/a> in the <i><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"New York Times\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_York_Times\">New York Times<\/a><\/i>,<sup id=\"cite_ref-Kristof16_10-6\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> and rapidly attracted national and international attention both inside and outside the chess world. <a title=\"Agadmator\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Agadmator\">agadmator<\/a>, a leading YouTube chess streamer, published an analysis of Adewumi&#8217;s only available game from the tournament. <a title=\"Garry Kasparov\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Garry_Kasparov\">Garry Kasparov<\/a>, former <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"World Chess Champion\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_Chess_Champion\">World Chess Champion<\/a>, praised this achievement by a refugee immigrant.\u00a0 <a title=\"Bill Clinton\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Clinton\">Bill Clinton<\/a>, former U.S. president, invited him to visit him in his office in <a title=\"Harlem\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Harlem\">Harlem<\/a>, New York, and he did. <a title=\"Abike Dabiri\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Abike_Dabiri\">Abike Dabiri<\/a>, Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to Nigerian president <a title=\"Muhammadu Buhari\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Muhammadu_Buhari\">Muhammadu Buhari<\/a>, called him &#8220;a pride to the nation&#8221;. On March 30, 2019, he visited the <a title=\"Saint Louis Chess Club\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Louis_Chess_Club\">Saint Louis Chess Club<\/a> in Missouri, where the <a title=\"U.S. Chess Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/U.S._Chess_Championship\">U.S. Chess Championship<\/a> was then in progress, and played several friendly <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Blitz chess\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blitz_chess\">blitz<\/a> (5 minutes for each player) games, his opponents including <a title=\"Hikaru Nakamura\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hikaru_Nakamura\">Hikaru Nakamura<\/a> (<a title=\"Grandmaster (chess)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Grandmaster_(chess)\">GM<\/a>, five-time U.S. Chess Champion), <a title=\"Jennifer Yu (chess player)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jennifer_Yu_(chess_player)\">Jennifer Yu<\/a> (<a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Woman Grandmaster\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Woman_Grandmaster\">WGM<\/a>, 2019 <a title=\"U.S. Women's Chess Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/U.S._Women%27s_Chess_Championship\">U.S. Women&#8217;s Chess Champion<\/a>), and <a title=\"Fabiano Caruana\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fabiano_Caruana\">Fabiano Caruana<\/a> (GM, who had challenged the titleholder, <a title=\"Magnus Carlsen\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Magnus_Carlsen\">Magnus Carlsen<\/a>, for the <a title=\"World Chess Championship 2018\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_Chess_Championship_2018\">World Chess Championship<\/a> in November 2018), and was interviewed by <a title=\"Maurice Ashley\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maurice_Ashley\">Maurice Ashley<\/a>, the world&#8217;s first black GM.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>His coaches set up a <a title=\"GoFundMe\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/GoFundMe\">GoFundMe<\/a> site shortly after the New York competition, with the target of raising $50,000 for the family by <a title=\"Crowdfunding\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crowdfunding\">crowdfunding<\/a>. It raised $254,000 in ten days.<sup id=\"cite_ref-npr_8-4\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Benefactors also offered non-monetary help; including accommodation, a car, academic scholarships, chess books, and <i><a title=\"Pro bono\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pro_bono\">pro bono<\/a><\/i> (i.e., free) assistance by immigration lawyers with their asylum application. They accepted one of the more modest offers of accommodation, declined the scholarship offers out of loyalty to P.S. 116, gave one-tenth of the donated money as a <a title=\"Tithe\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tithe\">tithe<\/a> to the church which had helped them, and put the rest into a <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"501(c)(3)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/501(c)(3)\">501(c)(3)<\/a> trust called the Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundation to help other children in similar circumstances.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>He has expressed an ambition to become the youngest ever <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Chess grandmaster\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chess_grandmaster\">chess grandmaster<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-Kristof16_10-7\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Three film companies bid on the rights to his story; <a title=\"Paramount Pictures\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paramount_Pictures\">Paramount Pictures<\/a> won. A biography, <i>My Name Is Tani<\/i>, was published on April 14, 2020.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-stories\" data-module=\"related-stories\" data-initialized=\"true\" data-state=\"ready\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>10-year-old Chess Prodigy, Tanitoluwa Adewumi has his sights set on becoming the greatest of all time @MyNameIsTani &#8220;Tani is the best 10 year old in the United States, hands-down. In the U.S. we probably have two a generation. Two or three kids (this good) every 20 years maybe.&#8221; ST. LOUIS \u2014 St. Louis had a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,11,8,1314,2432,1456,13,14,1,12,7,9,10],"tags":[4919,4920,4918,4917,4916],"class_list":["post-23277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-gamers","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-health","category-most-commented","category-news","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-4919","tag-mynameistani","tag-2010-age-111-nigeria-title-fide-master-fide-rating-2121-november-2021-peak-rating-2121-november-2021","tag-receiving-2019-tribeca-disruptive-innovation-award-as-his-father-applauds-full-name-tanitoluwa-emmanuel-adewumi-country-united-states-born-september-3","tag-tanitoluwa-adewumi-tanitoluwa-tani-adewumi-receiving-tribeca-disruptive-innovation-award-jpg-adewumi-left","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}