Nigeria looses chess prodigy to USA as 19 year old is granted asylum

According to media reports, the Adewumi family, who fled Nigeria in 2017 due to fear of attacks by Boko Haram, have officially been granted asylum in the United States. The family confirmed this news to The media. Tani Adewumi, now 12 years old, gained fame at the young age of 8 when he defeated 73 of the top chess players in his age group in the New York state championship and set a record in the process.

Tani’s father, Kayode Adewumi, expressed gratitude towards both God and the American people for their kindness and mercy. Kayode also noted that Tani will now have the opportunity to compete internationally.

In 2019, the family told the media they were living in a homeless shelter while trying to support Tani’s goals of becoming a grandmaster in the sport.

At 10 years old, Tani became the 28th-youngest chess player to become a national master in the U.S. Chess Federation. He has since become an International Chess Federation (FIDE) master, after winning the under-12 division of the North American Youth Chess Championship in 2021.

Tani’s father told CBS News the family’s next goal is to obtain U.S. citizenship.