NEW YORK -- An 8-year-old boy's victory as New York state chess champion will be his family's ticket out of a homeless shelter.
The New York Times reported that Tani Adewumi won the state chess title for his age group this month even though he learned to play only about a year ago.
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Tani and his family have lived in a New York City shelter since fleeing Nigeria in 2017. The Christian family feared attacks by the militant group Boko Haram.
Tani's chess coach Russell Makofsky set up a GoFundMe account for the family after Tani won the championship.
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Makofsky joined Tani on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday and said that thanks to donations, the family is moving into an apartment.
Tani says he "felt surprised" by his win.
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AP
8-year-old Tanitoluwa Adewumi poses with his trophy after winning the New York State Scholastic Championships tournament for kindergarten through third grade. ((Russell Makofsky via AP))