generalspeaking

Tuesday, April 02, 2019

Chess Champion, 8-Year-Old Tanitoluwa Adewumi

"He is so driven."
"He does ten times more chess puzzles than the average kid."
"He just wants to be better."
Shawn Martinez, school chess teacher

"The U.S. is a dream country."
"Thank God I live in the greatest city in the world, which is New York, New York."
Kayode Adewumi, Nigerian refugee

8-Year-Old Refugee Wins New York State Championship

The story of Tanitoluwa Adewumi as covered by the New York Times and El País. | Images by David Llada.

Nigerian refugees Kayode Adewumi and Oluwatoyin Adewumi left their native Nigeria in 2017. As Christians they were targets for Boko Haram terrorists. "I don't want to lose any loved ones", Kayode said. The two, husband and wife, brought their two sons as refugees to the United States. On their arrival, a pastor helped them find haven in a homeless shelter. They are awaiting word on their refugee claim. And in the interim, they live in the homeless shelter, along with others in somewhat the same position as themselves; life held in abeyance.

Not that Kayode has been idle. He has sought work, and has managed to find two jobs. He uses a rental car to drive for Uber. And he has become a licensed real estate salesman, while his wife enrolled in and then passed a course as a home health aide. Their younger son, Tanitoluwa attends a local elementary school with a part-time chess teacher. There Tani and other children were taught to play chess. He enjoyed the challenge of the game so much that he asked his mother to enrol him in the chess club.

Living in a shelter, and having little money the family was unable to pay the fees. After explaining this to the club, the man overseeing the program waived the fees, and it's been a year since the boy took part in his first tournament. At that event Tani had the lowest rating of any of the participants: 105. His rating now stands at 1587 (the world's best player, Magnus Carlsen has a rating of 2845). As a third-grade student who is homeless, Tani recently won his category at the New York State chess championship and was given a large trophy.

His category, kindergarten through third grade. He was able to outplay children from elite private schools who enjoyed the privilege of learning special moves with the aid of private chess tutors. Tani's knowledge of chess moves dates back a full year, when he was first introduced to chess. Since that time, month by month his play has steadily progressed. Tani now has no fewer than seven trophies standing by his bed in the homeless shelter.

"I want to be the youngest grandmaster", he said. In the state tournament, coaches watched in shock as the boy sacrificed a bishop for a pawn. The play he envisioned was validated by a computer that agreed with Tani when the coaches fed it the move, recognizing that by so doing Tani's position gained greatly by the gambit several moves later. "It's an inspiring example of how life's challenges do not define a person", commented the principal of Tani's school.

Every Saturday, Tani's mother takes him to a three-hour free practice session in Harlem. His parents allow Tani to miss church when there is a conflict in time with a tournament that he wouldn't want to miss, despite that they are extremely religious. Tani is allowed to use his father's laptop in the evenings for practise. "Tani is rich beyond measure" in the emotional support his family gives him, observed Russell Makofsky who runs the chess club.

There are times when the boy feels oppressed and unhappy, such as when classmates tease him about his homeless state. And he was rocked emotionally last fall when during an immigration hearing he thought the judge said the family would be deported. "I feel American", he responded. The family's next hearing for their asylum request is scheduled for August. The uncertainty weighs on the entire family. Tani finds relief in planning for the elementary national championship in May.

"One year to get his level, to climb a mountain and be the best of the best, without family resources. I've never seen it [happen before]", said Mr. Makofsky, with wonder.