Michelle Obama Hails 10-Year-Old Nigerian-US Chess Master

Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama has hailed Tanitoluwa Adewumi for recently becoming one of the youngest chess masters in US history.

I just loved this story of Tani Adewumi, a 10-year-old Nigerian refugee who’s already a chess master! He’s a reminder of the extraordinary potential within every young person—and our duty to help them reach it. https://t.co/Zc2FLvva6i

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 10, 2021

Obama made this known in her social media handle post while reacting to an opinion article by Nicholas Kristof published last Saturday in New York Times, titled ‘Remember the homeless chess champion? The boy is now a chess master.’

 

“A lot of people might have written Tani Adewumi off. His family came here as refugees after fleeing Boko Haram. Not too long ago, they were experiencing homelessness,” Obama said.

 

“He’s got his sights set even higher for the years ahead, another reminder of the extraordinary potential within each of our young people—and our duties as individuals and as a country to help them reach it.”

Kristof stated that this month, as a fifth grader, Tani cruised through an in-person tournament in Connecticut, open to advanced players of all ages, and won every game, emerging with a chess rating of 2223, making him a national master.

Kristof stated that at 10 years 7 months and 28 days,

Tani became the 28th youngest person ever to become a chess master in the United States, according to John Hartmann of U.S. Chess.

“Tani had one of the fastest rises, for he began playing chess only at the relatively late age of 7. And he’s aiming higher,” Kristof said.

 

“The larger lesson of Tani’s story is simple: Talent is universal, while opportunity is not. In Tani’s case, everything came together.”

 

Kristof further stated that a book Tani and his parents wrote about their journey has been optioned for a feature film by Paramount Pictures. The script is being written by Steven Conrad, who wrote ‘The Pursuit of Happiness,’ and Trevor Noah is to produce.