After fleeing Boko Haram attacks in northern Nigeria, an eight-year-old has become a chess champion in the United States of America.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi was crowned chess champion in the state of New York after beating other competitors.
The young boy moved to the U.S. with his parents in 2017 and currently lives in a shelter.
Adewumi is living in the shelter with his mother Oluwatoyin, father Kayode and older brother but his success could change their world sooner.
His father, Kayode Adewumi told the New York Times that he moved his family to the U.S because he didn’t “want to lose any loved ones.”
Tani’s parents got him to join a local chess club after showing interest in the game.
Adewumi told the BBC program NewsDay that he has been playing the game for just over a year now.
“I started playing in my class. It is a thinking game. I really like it because of how you play it. The way it is done, that is why I like it” he said.
His mother also told the program that Adewumi “started playing in 2018, like a year ago. He had admission in the school and class teacher sent me a note that Adewumi is interested in chess.”
The New York State Chess Championship is a prestigious competition and Adewumi is hoping this changes his life for the better.
Adewumi told the New York Times that he wants “to be the youngest grandmaster”.
Source: Africafeeds.com
