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The chess game that changed a homeless boy’s life

After fleeing Nigeria Tani Adewumi and his family were living in a homeless shelter in the US. But Tani’s chess brilliance at just eight years old would turn everything around.

Tani Adewumi and his family fled their home in Nigeria under threat from the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. They ended up living in a homeless shelter in New York. It was there Tani discovered a talent for chess. At eight years old, and just one year after he started playing the game, Tani won the New York State Championship for his age group. Tani, his elder brother Austin, his mother Oluwatoyin and father Kayode tell Emily Webb how it all happened.

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Andrea Kennedy

Picture: Tani Adewumi
Credit: Micah Kandros

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