On March 10, 2019, eight-year-old Tani won the New York Chess Championship (纽约象棋冠军赛) of his age group. But the boy, who was homeless at the time, began learning the game less than a year ago.
Tani and his family arrived in New York City from Africa in 2017. A church helped him enter the primary school, P. S, 116. Here the gifted boy was first introduced to chess by a part-time teacher Makofsky, owner of a chess club. Interested in the game, the seven-year-old asked his mother to allow him to join the club. Not able to afford the chess classes, she emailed Makofsky. To her surprise and joy, Makofsky agreed that Tani could learn it for free.
Though the chess club helps, it's largely believed that Tani's success lies in his hard work. The boy practices the game for many hours a day on the floor with his board. Every Saturday, Tani goes to a free 3-hour class to improve his game skills.
Not surprisingly, Tani's story, first reported by The New York Times, has brought him great support from the American public. Soon after the young boy won the New York Championship, Makofsky began a GoFundMe activity for Tani and his family so that he could continue his chess journey. It raised $ 200,000 in just ten days, far more than they expected. And the money keeps coming, But the family donates (捐赠) most of the money to the church and to those poor families.
Tani has also received offers from three famous private schools in New York. However, the family have politely refused all of them and chosen to continue Tani's education at P. S. 116.
The young boy's story also caught the eye of Bill Clinton, the 42nd US President. "Tani, you're an example of a winning spirit - in chess and in life. I'd love to meet you," he said on his Facebook.
While excited about his new life, Tani is ready to meet great challenges (挑战). He is busy preparing for the 2019 National Primary Championships. Winning the competition will bring the chess player closer to his dream of becoming the world's youngest chess grandmaster (大师). The record has been kept for 17 years by the Russian chess player Karjakin, who won the title at the age of 12.
