>>> WE ARE BACK NOW, 8:38 WITH A CHESS CHAMPION MAKING ALL KINDS
OF HEADLINES.
OF HEADLINES. >> AT JUST 8-YEAR-OLD OLD, TANI
ADEWUMI IS ON HIS WAY TOWARDS
MASTERING THE GAME OF CHESS.
THAT ALONE IS AN IMPRESSIVE
FEAT.
FEAT. >> HE’S A CHESS CHAMPION
CAPTURING HEARTS, TANI ADEWUMI
BEAT OUT 73 OTHER CHILDREN TO
WIN THE NEW YORK STATE
CHAMPIONSHIP FOR KINDERGARTEN
THROUGH THIRD GRADE.
NOT ONLY DID HE WIN, HE WENT
UNDEFEATED, AN UNLIKELY OUTCOME
SINCE HE LEARNED THE GAME JUST A
YEAR AGO, BUT GETTING HERE
WASN’T EASY.
WASN’T EASY. THE THIRD GRADER, HIS OLDER
BROTHER AND PARENTS HAVE BEEN
LIVING IN A NEW YORK CITY
HOMELESS SHELTER SINCE FLEEING
NIGERIA TWO YEARS AGO FEARING
ATTACKS BY THE TERROR GROUP BOKO
HARAM.
HARAM. THE FAMILY SAYS THEY ARE SEEKING
RELIGIOUS ASYLUM.
RELIGIOUS ASYLUM. TANI ENROLLED IN THE LOCAL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE CHESS
COACHES RUSSELL AND SHAWN
MARTINEZ TAUGHT HIM HOW TO PLAY.
THE YOUNG REFUGEE’S STORY HAS
GONE VIRAL.
GONE VIRAL. McCOUGH SKI SET UP A GO FUND ME
FOR THE FAMILY.
WITHIN THREE DAYS THOUSANDS OF
FAMILIES HAD DONATED OVER
$100,000.
$100,000. THEY HEAD INTO AN APARTMENT
TODAY.
TODAY. >> I’M SO PROUD OF HIM.
>> Reporter: THE FAMILY
OVERWHELMED, THANKFUL, AND NOW
READY FOR THEIR NEXT MOVE.
WE’RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE TANI WITH
US ALONG WITH HIS COACHES.
WHO WE JUST CALL COACH RUSSELL
AND COACH SHAWN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, TANI, THIS
MUST BE SO OVERWHELMING.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WON
THAT CHAMPIONSHIP?
THAT CHAMPIONSHIP? >> I FELT SURPRISED.
>> DID YOU?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YOU COULDN’T BELIEVE YOU WERE
THAT GOOD THAT FAST?
YEAH?
YEAH? >> WHEN DID YOU LEARN HOW TO
PLAY CHESS?
PLAY CHESS? IS IT SOMETHING YOU HAD PLAYED
BEFORE?
BEFORE? >> NO.
>> NO. LIKE A LITTLE BIT OVER A YEAR
AGO.
AGO. >> WHY DID YOU START?
HOW DID YOU GET INTO IT?
>> I GOT INTO IT WHEN MY
BROTHER, HE STARTED TEACHING ME
CHESS, BUT HE DIDN’T TEACH ME
THE RIGHT RULES.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> UNTIL COACH SHAWN CAME AND
THEN HE TAUGHT ME THE RIGHT
RULES.
RULES. >> WHAT DO YOUR COACHES MEAN TO
YOU?
YOU? >> THEY MEAN A LOT, LIKE THEY’RE
REALLY SUPPORTIVE.
REALLY SUPPORTIVE. >> WHEN YOU MEET A YOUNG BOY
LIKE THIS AND HE’S NEVER -- HE’S
NEVER TAKEN CHESS FOR REAL, HOW
DID YOU GO ABOUT TEACHING HIM,
AND DID HE JUST PICK IT UP LIKE
THAT?
THAT? >> EVERY KID DESERVES THE
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN CHESS, AND
TANI WAS NO DIFFERENT.
HE WANTED TO PLAY AND WE WANTED
TO HAVE HIM, AND HIS
ACCELERATION AND HIS PROGRESS
AND HIS INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM
REALLY TOOK HIM FROM FIRST
LEARNING HOW TO MOVE THE PIECES.
HE WAS COMPETITIVE VERY QUICKLY.
IT WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING HE
DID.
DID. WE DIDN’T GIVE HIM ANY EXTRA
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY. IT’S ALL HIM.
>> COACH SHAWN, WHEN DID YOU
KNOW THIS IS POTENTIALLY A
PRODIGY, THIS IS SOMEONE WHO
REALLY HAS A GIFT?
>> I STARTED SEEING HIM
PERFORMING AT TOURNAMENTS REALLY
WELL AND CONSISTENTLY, ASK
THAT’S PART OF BEING A REALLY
GOOD COMPETITOR IS BEING
CONSISTENT, AND HE JUST SHOWED A
LOT OF NATURAL TALENT,
ESPECIALLY AT THE STATE
CHAMPIONSHIPS WHEN IN HIS FOURTH
ROUND GAME HE ENDED UP
SACRIFICING A BISHOP WHICH IN MY
OPINION IS LIKE A MASTER LEVEL
IDEA.
IDEA. >> FOR A PAWN?
>> FOR A PAWN, YEAH.
AND HE REALLY IMPRESSED ME.
I ACTUALLY HAD TO PLUG IT INTO
THE COMPUTER BECAUSE I WANTED TO
MAKE SURE HE WAS COMPLETELY
ACCURATE, AND HE WENT FROM -- SO
IF YOU GO PLUS WHITE’S BETTER.
IF YOU GO NEGATIVE BLACK’S
BETTER AND HE WENT PLUS 80 AFTER
THAT MOVE.
THAT MOVE. SO I WAS COMPLETELY MIND BLOWN.
>> FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON’T --
WE DON’T SPEAK CHESS, DOES THAT
MEAN LIKE --
>> IT WAS A GOOD MOVE.
>> THAT WAS A GOOD MOVE.
>> >> IT WAS A GREAT MOVE.
>> CAN YOU SHOW US A MOVE?
CAN YOU SHOW US LIKE ONE OF
YOUR -- HOW WOULD YOU START A
MATCH?
MATCH? WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FIRST MOVE?
>> DON’T GIVE AWAY ALL YOUR
SECRETS?
SECRETS? >> IF I’M WHITE OR BLACK?
>> YOU’LL BE WHITE SINCE YOU’RE
ON THAT SIDE.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> IS IT ALWAYS THE SAME FIRST
MOVE?
MOVE? >> NO.
>> NO. >> DID YOU SEE HOW HE ANSWERED
IT?
IT? >> WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT.
>> DONE.
>> DONE. >> BYE BYE.
>> CHECK MATE.
>> I WAS TRYING -- THAT WAS MY
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. >> CARSON WANTS TO KNOW DOES
THIS HELP YOU WITH FORTNITE?
>> THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.
>> ARE YOU GOOD AT OTHER GAMES
LIKE CHECKERS OR MONOPOLY.
>> CHECK MATE.
>> CHECK MATE?
>> QUEEN.
>> QUEEN. IT’S A QUEEN.
>> QUEEN, EXCUSE ME.
ON YOUR SECOND MOVE?
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> IMPRESSIVE.
>> IMPRESSIVE. >> GUYS, THERE’S ANOTHER PART OF
THIS STORY, WHICH OF COURSE YOU
KNOW, TANI AND HIS FAMILY JUST
MOVED HERE FROM NIGERIA FLEEING
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. THEY’RE CHRISTIANS, THEY WERE
FLEEING THE TERROR GROUP BOKO
HARAM.
HARAM. THIS WHOLE TIME WHILE HE’S
EXCELLING AT CHESS LIVING IN A
HOMELESS SHELTER.
HOMELESS SHELTER. WHEN YOU FOUND OUT THEIR BACK
STORY, WHAT DID YOU THINK?
DOESN’T THIS MAKE HIM EVEN MORE
EXTRAORDINARY?
EXTRAORDINARY? >> WHEN HE WON THE STATE
CHAMPIONSHIP AND WENT BACK TO
THE EARLY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
ME AND HIS MOTHER, AND THE
REFERENCE OF HER BEING IN A
HOMELESS SHELTER, MANY STUDENTS
AND THE FACT THAT IT MIGHT HAVE
SLIPPED MY MIND AT THAT POINT,
AND WHEN I FOLLOWED UP WITH HER
THAT SHE CONFIRMED SHE WAS STILL
THERE, IT BROKE MY HEART.
NOT ON OUR WATCH.
NOT IN THIS COMMUNITY, NOT IN
THIS CITY, IT’S NOT HAPPENING.
>> WELL, THEY HAPPEN TO BE IN
OUR STUDIO, YOUR MOM, YOUR DAD,
YOUR BROTHER IS THERE.
YOU MUST BE SO PROUD OF YOUR
SON?
SON? >> IS THIS GENETIC?
ARE YOU GUYS GREAT AT CHESS,
TOO?
TOO? >> TANI SAID.
MY BROTHER IS ALSO GOOD.
>> YOUR BROTHER IS ALSO GOOD.
>> THERE’S GOOD NEWS BECAUSE A
GO FUND ME PAGE WAS SET UP, AND
I BELIEVE A GENEROUS DONOR HAS
COME FORWARD AND SAID THERE’S AN
APARTMENT THAT THE FAMILY CAN
USE?
USE? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I’D LIKE TO SAY TO EVERYBODY
THANK YOU, PEOPLE ARE KIND.
PEOPLE ARE GOOD, AND THAT SHOWED
THIS COUPLE IN THE FOREFRONT,
LOVE IS DEEP.
LOVE IS REAL.
TANI’S MOVING INTO A HOME AFTER
WE LEAVE HERE, HE’S GETTING HIS
BAGS.
BAGS. TANI IS NO LONGER HOMELESS.
HAS A HOME, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, HONEY, WE LOVE
YOU.
YOU. WE’RE HAPPY YOU’RE HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> KEEP CRUSHING IT.
>> YOU GOT A BIG TROPHY RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> HOW BIG IS IT?
>> IT’S HALF OF MY SIZE.
>> HOW FAR CAN HE GO IN CHESS?
WHAT IS THE NEXT -- WHAT DOES
THE FUTURE HOLD?
>> RIGHT NOW HE’S RATED AT ABOUT
1,500, WHICH IS ABOVE AVERAGE
FOR HIS AGE PRETTY MUCH.
IF HE GAINS SAY ANOTHER 500
POINTS HE COULD BE THE NEXT
EXPERT, THE NEXT YOUNGEST
EXPERT.
EXPERT. THE WAY HE’S MOVING RIGHT NOW
AND THE ACCELERATION HE’S GOING,
I THINK HE COULD SHOOT FOR THE
STARS.
STARS. >> THIS SOUNDS LIKE A STORY WE
SHOULD WATCH.
SHOULD WATCH. THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU COACHES
FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING ON THE