Chess victory is a way out of a shelter for an 8 year old boy

The victory of an 8-year-old boy as a failure champion from the state of New York will constitute his family's entry ticket for a homeless shelter.

The New York Times announced that Tani Adewumi had won the state chess title for his age group this month, even though he had learned to play there about a year.

Tani and her family live in a shelter in New York since their flight from Nigeria in 2017. They feared the attacks of the militant group Boko Haram against Christians like them.

Tani's chess coach, Russell Makofsky, created a GoFundMe account for the family after Tani won the championship.

Makofsky joined Tani on Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show and said that thanks to donations, the family is moving into an apartment.

Tani says that he "felt surprised" by his victory.

– AP