“Tani” (Tanitoluwa) Adewumi, his older brother, and their parents, fearing attacks on Christians by members of the Boko Haram terrorists, fled their home in Nigeria, Africa and sought religious asylum in the United States. Pastor Philip Falayi helped them find a homeless shelter in Manhattan.

Tani attend the local elementary school, P.S. 116, where Coach Shawn Martinez taught Tani’s class how to play chess. Tani wanted to join the after-school chess club but his family couldn’t pay the program fee. So, Tani’s mom e-mailed Coach Russell Makofsky, who headed the program, and explained her family’s situation. He kindly waived the fee and granted Tani a full scholarship to the program. 

Tani practiced chess on his father’s laptop about three hours each day and attended a three-hour practice session on Saturdays. Coach Shawn explained, “Tani does ten times more chess puzzles than the average kid.” In one year, Tani learned to play chess and won first place at the 2019 New York State Scholastic Championship for K-3 (Kindergarten to Third Grade). This made him one of the top chess players in America for his age group. Tani’s autobiography, My Name is Tani…and I Believe in Miracles, co-authored with Craig Borlase, was published when Tani was 10 years old.   
(Manhattan, New York: 2019)