Tanitoluwa Adewumi, an 8-year-old Nigerian whose family reportedly fled Nigeria because of the Boko Haram crisis, is fast becoming a star in the US.

Tanitoluwa started learning Chess about a year ago, and has already won seven trophies, including the New York State Chess Championship.

His play has skyrocketed month by month, and he now has seven trophies by his bed in the homeless shelter. “I want to be the youngest grandmaster,” Tani says.

Tani’s family fled northern Nigeria in 2017, fearing attacks by Boko Haram terrorists on Christians such as themselves.

So Tani, his parents and his older brother arrived in New York City a bit more than a year ago, and a pastor helped steer them to a homeless shelter. Tani began attending the local elementary school, P.S. 116, which has a part-time chess teacher who taught Tani’s class how to play.

His rating is now 1587 and rising fast. By comparison, the world’s best player, Magnus Carlsen, stands at 2845.