(tense music)

- My first thought is how do I beat them?

I don't think of anything else.

- [Reporter] In the world of chess,

Tani Adewumi is a rising star.

He was eight years old when he won

the 2019 New York State championship

in the K through third grade division.

He'd been playing less than a year.

- I had the confidence, butafter I won three games in a row

then I started to really build up that

good, good, good, stableconfidence that never goes away.

- [Reporter] Chess teamcoach, Sean Martinez.

- It doesn't happen everyyear where you see a student

who learned a game after just one year

and they're performing in the toughest

scholastic tournamentprobably in the country,

not only in the state,performing, you know,

pretty much perfectly, he's undefeated.

- [Reporter] Tani's unlikelyvictories spread quickly

throughout the media.

The story of the young boywho found his love for chess

while playing with hisbrother in Abuja, Nigeria

- My brother made paper pieces with tape

and we just started to move pieces around.

We'd move illegal moves everywhere

around the board, but itwas, it was always fun.

- [Reporter] Then, thewhole story began to unfold.

Just a year earlier, hisfamily had fled Nigeria

threatened by terroristswho vowed to kill them.

- The Boko Haram, they are killing,

they are bombing the market, the mosque,

the church, everywhere.

- [Reporter] Despite theviolence, Tani's father,

Coyote had been able torun his printing business

until the day he refused todo work for the terrorists.

Then they showed up at their home.

- One pointed a gun at me.

I was on the floor.

One said, "Let's use heras a message to a husband."

I can't really say what theyare saying, what they mean.

It might be rape, might be killed

or so many things can happen.

I don't know what to do.

But to me, I was alwayspraying to God that

"God, please save me.

"Save my children."

- [Reporter] Thankfully,they left without incident.

Still, the threats and visits continued

and Coyote moved thefamily to a Akure, Nigeria.

- And they just knocked and came in again.

That they even come out and say that,

"We traced you down to Akure.

"Now, that we get you to tonight.

"You will go and meet your God today."

- [Reporter] Finally,the family secured visas

and a flight to Texasto stay with relatives.

- In the plane, we don'tknow, we don't even think

about whatever we have lost in the past.

- [Dad] We don't look back.

- We don't look back.

The only thing we have that thank God

we have somewhere where wecan put our head, we're safe.

Nobody coming to our doorany day to harass us.

- [Reporter] In December2017, after a short stay

with their relatives, they landed

in a homeless shelter in Manhattan.

Tani, now in third grade,joined the chess club.

At once, his coaches sawhe had talent, passion,

and a work ethic helearned from his parents.

- He worked his butt offand that was one thing that

really separated him from many was like,

when it was time to havefun he wanted to practice.

And when it was time to play, he was the

first one there, at the board.

- I was always pushing.

Even if there was no prizes, I just wanted

to have that feeling that I'm doing well.

- [Reporter] As Tani venturedinto the tournament arena,

victories were scarce.

His mother, Oluwatoyinwould pray with her son,

explaining that it takes patience

and prayer to find success.

- I know he was praising God,

"I want to come back home with trophies,"

because he used to see trophies in the,

in their chess room.

I said, "Yes, God has heard your prayer

"but this might not be your time."

- [Reporter] The timeand success was coming

as he started racking up the wins.

- I don't really think about who I play.

I just play the game andgo to the next round,

play the game, go to the next round.

- [Reporter] With the NewYork state championship coming

up in March 2019, Tani's coaches decided

to take him with the team.

Even then, he wasn't expected to go far.

However, miracles do happen.

Out of 73 players, eight-year-oldTani came out on top.

- The coaches say, "Tani, didyou know what you just did?

"Did you know what just happened?"

So the director justgrabbed him, throw him up.

- [Reporter] Tani understoodwhat his mother had said

about God's timing and prayer.

- He helped me with chess,so he gave me the confidence.

I pray to Him and He answered.

- That was just like the beginning

of something really phenomenal.

- [Reporter] That something would reach

far beyond the chess tournament.

As Tani and his family'sstory captivated the media,

it also grabbed the hearts of the public.

Tani's coaches set up aGoFundMe site that raised

over $250,000 in 10 days.

- One family just called meand gave me a brand new car.

And another person, I rentedan apartment for us for a year.

God let the whole world know that

He can brought somebody from destruction.

- Yeah, from nothing--

- From nothing--

- To something.

- God still have something to do.

That He want the whole worldto see that it's all God.

He's the truly God.

- [Reporter] They've launched the

Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundationto help families in need.

Tani plans to keep workingand praying to achieve

the coveted title of world'syoungest grandmaster.

He and his parents sharetheir journey in their book

"My Name Is Tani and IBelieve in Miracles."

- God is always with usand it gives me a sign that

more things are gonna beahead of us, good things.

(soft piano music)