Meet Tani, the new chess champion in New York State. Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi is 9 years old. He won this springʼs competition when he was in third grade. 

Tani moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2017. When his family first arrived, they lived in a homeless shelter in New York City. He began playing chess at school. He loved it and spent his free time practicing.

After Tani’s big win, many people wanted to help. Now his family lives in an apartment. But Tani isn’t done yet. He wants to become the youngest grandmaster. That’s the highest title chess players can earn.