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Our Chess Champion Has a Home

131 points by diego_moita 8y ago

syntaxing 8y ago
Say what you want about our country's current state but stories like this is what makes America great (minus the fact the kid and his family was homeless to begin with). It's not who you know but your talent (and some luck) that get's you recognized and can change your life. Sure, this sounds naive and a lot times, this doesn't play out. But these stories are still aspiring and reminds me of the American dream we once had. E: I kind of enjoy watching the fluctuation of the rating on this post between positive and negative. Shows the drastic difference in mentality here. Am I saying the US is perfect? No. There is a lot we can improve, and my political (social or economic) tendency leans pretty left to begin with. But you are very wrong if you think there is no mobility or opportunity here in the US, even with the current political environment. I am an anecdotal data point, but as a first generation immigrant that grew up in poverty here, I am pretty certain I would not be in the lower middle class if it wasn't for the American dream. Every single relative within my generation that immigrated to the US are now heavily educated and work decent jobs to provide for our families. There is a lot of social policies we can borrow from other countries to improve our social justice within our country. But the fact that many people here are not even reflective with the possible opportunities here currently is kind if of saddening to me.
- moomin 8y ago
  And if he had a cold the day of the competition, came second, didn’t become the subject of a news article and remained homeless? The article itself points out this exact problem. We’ve replaced the American Dream with the American Lottery, where only the truly lucky get to change their circumstance. Otherwise, any study will tell you American has way lower levels of social mobility than Europe. If you want talent to be rewarded, the European Reality beats the American Dream very time.
  - paulgb 8y ago
    Not to mention all the other kids out there who don’t play chess but could make amazing contributions to society if they had access to the education they needed.
  - crushcrashcrush 8y ago
    Great point. This is also the reason we can't pass meaningful taxes on the wealthy - including cap gains. Because everyone in the US believes they'll one day be a millionaire.
    - tuesdayrain 8y ago
      I don't find that to be true from my conversations about this topic. The people I've talked to are afraid of increasing taxes on the wealthy because they're afraid that the wealthy will just choose to relocate to another country, potentially even taking businesses with them.
      - crushcrashcrush 8y ago
        Different circles! I think the line of thinking you've brought up is a method of control to never enact meaningful tax policy; but I understand the thinking.
      - moomin 8y ago
        It’s worth bearing in mind this is literally a talking point thought up and promoted by the rich. There have been studies in this. They suggest the exact opposite: there just aren’t many Saverins in the world. Equally, business location seems to have very little to do with personal taxation. This all funnels down to a fundamental misunderstanding of the source of wealth: it starts with a working economy where people buy stuff and work. The rich, like it or not, don’t do much of either relative to their wealth.
  - Hydraulix989 8y ago
    Or if he wasn't picked up (or should I say, editorialized) by the New York Times? Or if how we treat our "refugees" that are homeless vs. our own citizens who are also homeless wasn't a highly-politicized issue du jour? GoFundMe isn't a social safety net. Overly wealthy donors dolling out six-figure handouts and spare prime-Manhattan bedrooms as pocket change at their own discretion to this kid isn't scalable either. We shouldn't treat one-off's like this that tug at our heart strings as social progress. Just take a walk down Market Street and realize that there is still a mountainous amount of work to be done. And it can be done. In modern, developed countries like South Korea, there is not a single homeless person. Come on, America! I am very privileged; I didn't have to become a state chess champion against all odds in order to have basic shelter.
- eastendguy 8y ago
  I guess in pretty much every country on earth you will get an apartment and more if you are a chess champion.
  - modriano 8y ago
    > if you are a chess champion. who also gets written about in that nation's premier newspaper, and that story inspires a successful crowdfunding campaign.
  - syntaxing 8y ago
    What about the countries where kids aren't even given the opportunity to compete?
- fcarraldo 8y ago
  In what Western democracies are the right combinations of luck and talent not potentially life changing? The only uniquely American part of this story is that the boy was homeless in the first place.
  - spectramax 8y ago
    I think the GP should have left luck out of the question. Real question to ask is: In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance without luck? Meritocracy is strong in USA just as it is in a lot of western democracies. I have friends that grew up in India, Italy, Mexico, China - where meritocracy takes a backseat.
    - andrepd 8y ago
      >Real question to ask is: In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance without luck? None. Pure meritocracy is an illusion; there's just too much stuff going on so that your success is attributable to your work alone, and inversely there is no place in the world where hard work guarantees success. >Meritocracy is strong in USA just as it is in a lot of western democracies. I have friends that grew up in India, Italy, Mexico, China - where meritocracy takes a backseat. See e.g. https://www.oecd.org/centrodemexico/medios/44582910.pdf https://www.oecd.org/centrodemexico/medios/44582910.pdf . USA has a similar level of intergenerational income correlation has Italy (that is, one of the highest among OECD countries).
      - spectramax 8y ago
        > None. Pure meritocracy is an illusion; there's just too much stuff going on so that your success is attributable to your work alone, and inversely there is no place in the world where hard work guarantees success. I think you missed my point. I wasn't looking for an answer. You're right, luck is always involved in serendipitous opportunities and discovery. My point was to correct the parent comment and ask the question in reverse. Even better is to raise the question: "In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance with least amount of luck?"
- netsharc 8y ago
  To join the other repliers crapping on you, what about the other homeless kids who aren't chess champions? A greater country wouldn't even have homeless kids, because they'd be taking care of them regardless of whether they have talent or not, because they're human beings, goddamnit.
  - syntaxing 8y ago
    This country spends a lot helping people, particularly kids in general. This might be NY state laws but we provide shelter, food, and subsidized utility for family with kids in poverty. I have friends who grew up in high risk area and poverty and they were provided with catered education and free college for upward mobility, Though to be honest I am not entirely sure what this family's situation was given the fact they were refugees and been here for a year and I am not sure what the US provide for social assistance.
    - renholder 8y ago
      >This might be NY state laws but we provide shelter, food, and subsidized utility for family with kids in poverty. It seems that way. I have friends in the Bible Belt who receive nowhere near anything like that because those programs, simply, do not exist. We could go into long diatribes of social policies versus the "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality but, at the end of the day, it only prolongs the problems that continue to plight the poor/disadvantaged; case in-point: The family that was homeless.
- scarejunba 8y ago
  Large amounts of charitable giving are evidence that the state has failed in its duty of care. Still, I do think that it's what makes America great. Instead of funding homes for poor people, I can just keep the money to myself and let others spend theirs.
- andrepd 8y ago
  The fact that, in the wealthiest country in human history, a homeless kid had to: be a chess prodigy, win a championship, happen to receive major media attention, all on order to have access to basic food and shelter, that to me is no cause for pride.
- UncleMeat 8y ago
  But what of the second best chess player in his position? What if he doesn't become famous? This "gofundme" model of social welfare is terrible. A few people get coverage and have their prayers answered. Everybody else starves. That's not sustainable.
- cyborgx7 8y ago
  Do people who have "talent (and some luck)" deserve a better live than other people?
cyberferret 8y ago
The takeaway from this story for me is the amazing loyalty of the family. To turn down scholarships at other 'better' schools and stick with the one that gave Tani free membership to the chess club and where the teacher that taught him how to play works. Plus the fact that they are donating the entire GoFundMe (which I donated a tiny amount to last week) to helping other kids from Africa to migrate to the US. That is 'paying it forward' in spades.
- gothroach 8y ago
  That struck me - they're promising to form a small foundation to help other immigrants with the all the cash they're receiving (minus ten percent going to the church that helped them when they were homeless), and have only really accepted material necessities instead. A year paid for in a new apartment, furnishings, books, a car, other necessities that would improve their life by a huge margin. They seem like a family who appreciates hard work, and this way they can become self-sufficient again far easier and without most of the temptations that come with receiving huge lump sumps of money suddenly. I'm happy that people have rallied to help them, and even happier that they're already wanting to help others in their former situation.
- joe_the_user 8y ago
  Staying close to the kid's current school seems like good sense. They have media attention and donations now but the chances are that will dry up after some fairly short period. Using that money to put themselves in a sustainable position can be better than trying to leverage it into the most prestigious position. There's a long history of child actors, homeless who do heroic deeds and similar media-darlings later being dropped by the media and the public and winding up in terrible situations (especially given that "people are people" and media attention may one minute show a person's awesome side and the next minute show their despicable side).
  - shivo 8y ago
    People rarely get these moments when the public is aware and genuinely cares for their needs. I'm certain there are thousands more people with similar backgrounds. Hopefully they make the best of all of the attention for the long term.
Leace 8y ago
If anyone is interested here's the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QMrf-Rfeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QMrf-Rfeo
- cyberferret 8y ago
  agadmator is one of the few YT chess channels that I enjoy watching on a daily basis. Love his analysis, and it has helped to improve my chess thinking and strategy. * Legend has it that if adagmator ever says "Goodbye Everyone!" the world will end.
- colmvp 8y ago
  Whoa.. such complicated hoodie rules.
Dangeranger 8y ago
Tani’s family has an apartment, near his current school, paid for one year by an anonymous donor. They will be donating 10% of the GoFundMe to their church and the remaining 90% will become a trust to help African migrants seeking asylum in the United States. While Tani has been offered scholarships by several elite private schools in NYC, his family has decided to stay loyal to the school Tani is currently attending until the middle school transition. Tani was asked if he wanted any single material item and he replied, “Maybe a computer”.
- m0zg 8y ago
  > “Maybe a computer”. Whereupon, sadly, he will discover social media, and all his progress will come to a screeching halt due to FANG PhDs gaming his dopamine cycles for a buck. I wish I was wrong, but looking at my 15 year old, I'm not hopeful. He used to be pretty good at chess, too, before he started spending all his time watching bullshit on Youtube.
  - Invictus0 8y ago
    Don't write this about your kid man. We all wasted our time as teenagers, it's part of growing up.
    - rjf72 8y ago
      I wouldn't equate all wastes. Most forms of play have some derivative benefits. Social media and trash content on YouTube seems to have no benefit whatsoever. Of course we had TV whereupon the same critique of unbeneficial waste applies, but I think one big difference is that it became boring quickly. By contrast things such as social media and YouTube provide practically endless entertainment. Even video games have lost their benefit. When 'we' were younger, games tended to be difficult which instilled perseverance and required the development of skill. That or you got frustrated and went and did something else. Now games, and by this I mostly mean AAA type stuff, have become far more passive forms of entertainment with most of all challenge removed. This feels like a 'back in my day' rant, but one major difference is that there is quantifiable data to indicate ongoing negative changes in society such, as mentioned in a peer post, the contemporary reversal of the Flynn Effect. [1] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect
mindgam3 8y ago
What sucks is that this amazing story is being exploited by all kinds of people to get attention and further their own agenda, including some who should really know better. Two days ago we had Garry Kasparov adding his two cents in the Washington Post, including this choice paragraph: "This heart-warming tale is also a quintessentially American one. Despite his family’s conditions, Tani learned to play at a good chess program in an excellent Manhattan public school. His mother took the initiative of getting him into the school chess club, reminding any true chess fan of a similar letter written by the mother of future U.S. world champion Bobby Fischer. (All praise to assertive chess mothers like my own!)" (1) With all due respect to Mr. Kasparov (or more likely, to his ghostwriter, Mig Greengard), linking Bobby Fischer to Tani does a disservice to both players and to the larger chess community. First, there is nothing about Fischer’s story that is “heartwarming”. Fischer grew up not just without a father but without even knowing who his real father was. He struggled from the very beginning, getting expelled from school before finally dropping out, then becoming one of the greatest chess players of all time, captivating the world for a few years before cracking under the pressure and descending into paranoia and anti-Semitic delusions. Fischer’s story is a straight up tragedy. Chess players should stop using it as a shining example of the transformative positive power of chess. Second, to praise Fischer’s mother Regina as an “assertive chess mother” is just wrong. A more appropriate term would be “absent”. She literally moved out of the home and left Fischer alone at age 16, writing the following to a friend: ““It sounds terrible to leave a 16-year-old to his own devices, but he is probably happier that way” (2) Yes, the chess community can make good things happen in the world, as proven by Tani getting a home. We should celebrate this. But it can also take in vulnerable people, simultaneously glorify them and drive them towards madness, and cast them aside. If we want more of the good, we need to stop pretending that the bad things didn’t happen. And we really shouldn’t be rewriting one of the greatest tragedies in chess history as a heroic tale of success, just to cash in on all the excitement about the most positive thing to happen in the chess world in years. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-heart-warming-tale-of-the-8-year-old-chess-champion-is-quintessentially-american/2019/03/22/7a2fdf92-4cd9-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html?utm_term=.582131ea4083 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-heart-warming-ta... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Drops_out_of_school https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Drops_out_of_sch...
Bodell 8y ago
I cant remember the exact years, but I won two state championships in Idaho somewhere between 12-14 years of age (so early 2000’s I think. I would love to find some correlating information about this, but it seems the online records don’t go back that far). I even tied a game with a master who was 30-40 years older than me in a rated tournament. From what I remember I was the only one younger than 25 in many tournaments during those times. Nothing really happened though, it was mostly ignored, no school scholarships, no apartment, no money. I did get alot of offers for free lessons from high rated players, people who wanted to be able to say they taught the kid that won state. Truth was I was raised by a single mother who never had money enough to be able to afford things like chess lessons. I actually learned by playing “Chessmaster” on the original play station, sitting home alone in a trailer in Texas. No one including my mother found out that I knew how to play until a year or two later. I quite playing after moving to a different state, around 14 or 15 years old. We continued to live in near homeless circumstances until I was 18. “Near” is important here, as I grew older I learned about many of the small kindnesses of strangers and friends that kept us a float in times of turmoil. [In response to another comment here:] America is a place where we care a lot for a short period of time about one kid in one state winning one tournament. We really enjoy what are essentially lotteries, and their winners (this is not to imply that chess is some sort of crap shoot, but that simply from the perspective of the outside observer, so many circumstances are unseen, and that which rises to the level of public conciseness is absolutely due to luck). However, the thing in my humble anecdotal story that knows no country borders; The thing we (in my opinion) should be far more concerned with are the small kindnesses. The $200 dollars loaned for refinancing, to help a single mother leave a job that holds a car note over her head, for a better one (one that can pay for the rent and food and a good Christmas for a son), never asking to be paid back. I really loved this story. I would wish this kid and his family the best, but I have a feeling they don’t need my well wishes. They will be just fine, same as me and my mother, who both now live in infinity better circumstances.
- Dangeranger 8y ago
  You are right. One person's action to improve the life of another without any preconception of glamor is far greater than the fulfillment of donating to a heartwarming story, or hearing about a successful fundraiser. Our (American) attention is too easily focused on the next shiny thing and we pat ourselves on the back for cheering a worthy cause, without consideration of those left out of the spotlight. This story was amazing to witness, though not unexpected. We love to lift those who embody our virtues, without reflection as to where our backs are turned. We could all do to learn from the lesson of Tani's family and "spread the wealth" that which we receive, or send, to those in need who do not fit such a story book narrative.
purplezooey 8y ago
What about all the people that need a home and aren't chess champions..
uptownfunk 8y ago
The real tragedy, in all of this, is the feeling of compulsion that these economically disadvantaged kids face to use their intellect to improve their financial situation. There was a kid in my statistical theory class who blew my mind with his raw brain power. Came from Nigeria, could have easily pursued a PhD from a top program. Perhaps gone on to do some great research. Where did he end up..? An actuary. Why? The economic stability and progression in the profession. For me this is the real tragedy. I hope this kid gets to use his gift to do something more than afford an expensive bottle of wine some day.
- newen 8y ago
  On the other hand, his kids might have a better chance at using their gifts better. Not that failing a PhD program will put you in a bad place economically (I'd say it will put you in a worse place though) but having a stable job and enjoying other aspects of life is good too.
- GrynetMolvin 8y ago
  Why are you assuming that academic research is necessarily more valuable and/or interesting than being an actuary (which can involve some really sophisticated stats)? The big downside of the academy is that it's basically a zero-sum game. There's a limited pot of money, decided by the politics of the day, and all geniuses and near-geniuses are fighting for it. The added benefit of another smart person entering research is therefore limited. However, in industry, including the insurance industry, a smart person can create more growth than existed before he/she entered. The added economic stability is not in conflict to this.
wslh 8y ago
Does he have a Wikipedia page?
blizkreeg 8y ago
It's interesting to me how no one knows or is talking about the kid who lost to the champ. He is perhaps equally good but lost in this game.
- hmcm55 8y ago
  it's because the feat of winning K-3 NY State isn't that impressive. It's all the things he had to overcome/persevere through to get to that moment. The top players in the country that are his age are 2000+.
  - renholder 8y ago
    >It's all the things he had to overcome/persevere through to get to that moment. You're demonstrating the OC's point: No one has any context around the kid who lost, it seems; so, for example, did he (or she) come from an equally disadvantaged position? If so, isn't he (or she) worthy of the same accolades and/or help simply for getting to that point, as well?
    - waterpigcow 8y ago
      it seems unlikely that second place came from an equally or more disadvantaged background. chess in general is a pretty exclusionary. sure the kid (tani?) might not have been the worst off kid at the tournament but kids from higher income schools or private schools might have an easier time dedicating time to the study of chess. what's significant to me is the difficulty of being homeless and dedicating time to studying anything, especially something extracurricular like chess. it's possible that second place came from the same place but if so you're kinda calling into question the entire premise of champions right? like caruana and carlsen are essentially the same strength so whats the use of calling carlsen the champion and giving him all the prize money?
starpilot 8y ago
A tidbit about the kid's work ethic: > “The average kids do 50 to 100 puzzles a week. (Tani) does like 500 puzzles a week,” [his chess coach] Martinez said. https://fox4kc.com/2019/03/22/homeless-8-year-old-who-learned-to-play-a-year-ago-is-now-a-new-york-chess-champion/ https://fox4kc.com/2019/03/22/homeless-8-year-old-who-learne... Pretty amazed at that effort. Far outstrips anything I did when I was 8 years old, I believe I watched a lot of cartoons.
cyborgx7 8y ago
Good for the kid, but the fact that he has to earn not being homeless is a disgrace. Not an uplifting story.
virgakwolfw 8y ago
Pure JOY! I admire the sterling character that the Adewumi family has so beautifully exhibited. It's so refreshing after the recent news about rich kids cheating to get into college. (And shall I mention Trump's Foundation, used to buy himself portraits of himself? ) Anyway, Tani, I see you have a very large heart and an incredibly bright future ahead!

131 points by diego_moita 8y ago

Say what you want about our country's current state but stories like this is what makes America great (minus the fact the kid and his family was homeless to begin with). It's not who you know but your talent (and some luck) that get's you recognized and can change your life. Sure, this sounds naive and a lot times, this doesn't play out. But these stories are still aspiring and reminds me of the American dream we once had. E: I kind of enjoy watching the fluctuation of the rating on this post between positive and negative. Shows the drastic difference in mentality here. Am I saying the US is perfect? No. There is a lot we can improve, and my political (social or economic) tendency leans pretty left to begin with. But you are very wrong if you think there is no mobility or opportunity here in the US, even with the current political environment. I am an anecdotal data point, but as a first generation immigrant that grew up in poverty here, I am pretty certain I would not be in the lower middle class if it wasn't for the American dream. Every single relative within my generation that immigrated to the US are now heavily educated and work decent jobs to provide for our families. There is a lot of social policies we can borrow from other countries to improve our social justice within our country. But the fact that many people here are not even reflective with the possible opportunities here currently is kind if of saddening to me.

moomin 8y ago
And if he had a cold the day of the competition, came second, didn’t become the subject of a news article and remained homeless? The article itself points out this exact problem. We’ve replaced the American Dream with the American Lottery, where only the truly lucky get to change their circumstance. Otherwise, any study will tell you American has way lower levels of social mobility than Europe. If you want talent to be rewarded, the European Reality beats the American Dream very time.
- paulgb 8y ago
  Not to mention all the other kids out there who don’t play chess but could make amazing contributions to society if they had access to the education they needed.
- crushcrashcrush 8y ago
  Great point. This is also the reason we can't pass meaningful taxes on the wealthy - including cap gains. Because everyone in the US believes they'll one day be a millionaire.
  - tuesdayrain 8y ago
    I don't find that to be true from my conversations about this topic. The people I've talked to are afraid of increasing taxes on the wealthy because they're afraid that the wealthy will just choose to relocate to another country, potentially even taking businesses with them.
    - crushcrashcrush 8y ago
      Different circles! I think the line of thinking you've brought up is a method of control to never enact meaningful tax policy; but I understand the thinking.
    - moomin 8y ago
      It’s worth bearing in mind this is literally a talking point thought up and promoted by the rich. There have been studies in this. They suggest the exact opposite: there just aren’t many Saverins in the world. Equally, business location seems to have very little to do with personal taxation. This all funnels down to a fundamental misunderstanding of the source of wealth: it starts with a working economy where people buy stuff and work. The rich, like it or not, don’t do much of either relative to their wealth.
- Hydraulix989 8y ago
  Or if he wasn't picked up (or should I say, editorialized) by the New York Times? Or if how we treat our "refugees" that are homeless vs. our own citizens who are also homeless wasn't a highly-politicized issue du jour? GoFundMe isn't a social safety net. Overly wealthy donors dolling out six-figure handouts and spare prime-Manhattan bedrooms as pocket change at their own discretion to this kid isn't scalable either. We shouldn't treat one-off's like this that tug at our heart strings as social progress. Just take a walk down Market Street and realize that there is still a mountainous amount of work to be done. And it can be done. In modern, developed countries like South Korea, there is not a single homeless person. Come on, America! I am very privileged; I didn't have to become a state chess champion against all odds in order to have basic shelter.
eastendguy 8y ago
I guess in pretty much every country on earth you will get an apartment and more if you are a chess champion.
- modriano 8y ago
  > if you are a chess champion. who also gets written about in that nation's premier newspaper, and that story inspires a successful crowdfunding campaign.
- syntaxing 8y ago
  What about the countries where kids aren't even given the opportunity to compete?
fcarraldo 8y ago
In what Western democracies are the right combinations of luck and talent not potentially life changing? The only uniquely American part of this story is that the boy was homeless in the first place.
- spectramax 8y ago
  I think the GP should have left luck out of the question. Real question to ask is: In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance without luck? Meritocracy is strong in USA just as it is in a lot of western democracies. I have friends that grew up in India, Italy, Mexico, China - where meritocracy takes a backseat.
  - andrepd 8y ago
    >Real question to ask is: In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance without luck? None. Pure meritocracy is an illusion; there's just too much stuff going on so that your success is attributable to your work alone, and inversely there is no place in the world where hard work guarantees success. >Meritocracy is strong in USA just as it is in a lot of western democracies. I have friends that grew up in India, Italy, Mexico, China - where meritocracy takes a backseat. See e.g. https://www.oecd.org/centrodemexico/medios/44582910.pdf https://www.oecd.org/centrodemexico/medios/44582910.pdf . USA has a similar level of intergenerational income correlation has Italy (that is, one of the highest among OECD countries).
    - spectramax 8y ago
      > None. Pure meritocracy is an illusion; there's just too much stuff going on so that your success is attributable to your work alone, and inversely there is no place in the world where hard work guarantees success. I think you missed my point. I wasn't looking for an answer. You're right, luck is always involved in serendipitous opportunities and discovery. My point was to correct the parent comment and ask the question in reverse. Even better is to raise the question: "In which countries can you succeed with talent, hard work and perseverance with least amount of luck?"
netsharc 8y ago
To join the other repliers crapping on you, what about the other homeless kids who aren't chess champions? A greater country wouldn't even have homeless kids, because they'd be taking care of them regardless of whether they have talent or not, because they're human beings, goddamnit.
- syntaxing 8y ago
  This country spends a lot helping people, particularly kids in general. This might be NY state laws but we provide shelter, food, and subsidized utility for family with kids in poverty. I have friends who grew up in high risk area and poverty and they were provided with catered education and free college for upward mobility, Though to be honest I am not entirely sure what this family's situation was given the fact they were refugees and been here for a year and I am not sure what the US provide for social assistance.
  - renholder 8y ago
    >This might be NY state laws but we provide shelter, food, and subsidized utility for family with kids in poverty. It seems that way. I have friends in the Bible Belt who receive nowhere near anything like that because those programs, simply, do not exist. We could go into long diatribes of social policies versus the "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality but, at the end of the day, it only prolongs the problems that continue to plight the poor/disadvantaged; case in-point: The family that was homeless.
scarejunba 8y ago
Large amounts of charitable giving are evidence that the state has failed in its duty of care. Still, I do think that it's what makes America great. Instead of funding homes for poor people, I can just keep the money to myself and let others spend theirs.
andrepd 8y ago
The fact that, in the wealthiest country in human history, a homeless kid had to: be a chess prodigy, win a championship, happen to receive major media attention, all on order to have access to basic food and shelter, that to me is no cause for pride.
UncleMeat 8y ago
But what of the second best chess player in his position? What if he doesn't become famous? This "gofundme" model of social welfare is terrible. A few people get coverage and have their prayers answered. Everybody else starves. That's not sustainable.
cyborgx7 8y ago
Do people who have "talent (and some luck)" deserve a better live than other people?

cyberferret 8y ago

The takeaway from this story for me is the amazing loyalty of the family. To turn down scholarships at other 'better' schools and stick with the one that gave Tani free membership to the chess club and where the teacher that taught him how to play works. Plus the fact that they are donating the entire GoFundMe (which I donated a tiny amount to last week) to helping other kids from Africa to migrate to the US. That is 'paying it forward' in spades.

gothroach 8y ago
That struck me - they're promising to form a small foundation to help other immigrants with the all the cash they're receiving (minus ten percent going to the church that helped them when they were homeless), and have only really accepted material necessities instead. A year paid for in a new apartment, furnishings, books, a car, other necessities that would improve their life by a huge margin. They seem like a family who appreciates hard work, and this way they can become self-sufficient again far easier and without most of the temptations that come with receiving huge lump sumps of money suddenly. I'm happy that people have rallied to help them, and even happier that they're already wanting to help others in their former situation.
joe_the_user 8y ago
Staying close to the kid's current school seems like good sense. They have media attention and donations now but the chances are that will dry up after some fairly short period. Using that money to put themselves in a sustainable position can be better than trying to leverage it into the most prestigious position. There's a long history of child actors, homeless who do heroic deeds and similar media-darlings later being dropped by the media and the public and winding up in terrible situations (especially given that "people are people" and media attention may one minute show a person's awesome side and the next minute show their despicable side).
- shivo 8y ago
  People rarely get these moments when the public is aware and genuinely cares for their needs. I'm certain there are thousands more people with similar backgrounds. Hopefully they make the best of all of the attention for the long term.

Leace 8y ago

If anyone is interested here's the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QMrf-Rfeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QMrf-Rfeo

cyberferret 8y ago
agadmator is one of the few YT chess channels that I enjoy watching on a daily basis. Love his analysis, and it has helped to improve my chess thinking and strategy. * Legend has it that if adagmator ever says "Goodbye Everyone!" the world will end.
colmvp 8y ago
Whoa.. such complicated hoodie rules.

Dangeranger 8y ago

Tani’s family has an apartment, near his current school, paid for one year by an anonymous donor. They will be donating 10% of the GoFundMe to their church and the remaining 90% will become a trust to help African migrants seeking asylum in the United States. While Tani has been offered scholarships by several elite private schools in NYC, his family has decided to stay loyal to the school Tani is currently attending until the middle school transition. Tani was asked if he wanted any single material item and he replied, “Maybe a computer”.

m0zg 8y ago
> “Maybe a computer”. Whereupon, sadly, he will discover social media, and all his progress will come to a screeching halt due to FANG PhDs gaming his dopamine cycles for a buck. I wish I was wrong, but looking at my 15 year old, I'm not hopeful. He used to be pretty good at chess, too, before he started spending all his time watching bullshit on Youtube.
- Invictus0 8y ago
  Don't write this about your kid man. We all wasted our time as teenagers, it's part of growing up.
  - rjf72 8y ago
    I wouldn't equate all wastes. Most forms of play have some derivative benefits. Social media and trash content on YouTube seems to have no benefit whatsoever. Of course we had TV whereupon the same critique of unbeneficial waste applies, but I think one big difference is that it became boring quickly. By contrast things such as social media and YouTube provide practically endless entertainment. Even video games have lost their benefit. When 'we' were younger, games tended to be difficult which instilled perseverance and required the development of skill. That or you got frustrated and went and did something else. Now games, and by this I mostly mean AAA type stuff, have become far more passive forms of entertainment with most of all challenge removed. This feels like a 'back in my day' rant, but one major difference is that there is quantifiable data to indicate ongoing negative changes in society such, as mentioned in a peer post, the contemporary reversal of the Flynn Effect. [1] [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect

mindgam3 8y ago

What sucks is that this amazing story is being exploited by all kinds of people to get attention and further their own agenda, including some who should really know better. Two days ago we had Garry Kasparov adding his two cents in the Washington Post, including this choice paragraph: "This heart-warming tale is also a quintessentially American one. Despite his family’s conditions, Tani learned to play at a good chess program in an excellent Manhattan public school. His mother took the initiative of getting him into the school chess club, reminding any true chess fan of a similar letter written by the mother of future U.S. world champion Bobby Fischer. (All praise to assertive chess mothers like my own!)" (1) With all due respect to Mr. Kasparov (or more likely, to his ghostwriter, Mig Greengard), linking Bobby Fischer to Tani does a disservice to both players and to the larger chess community. First, there is nothing about Fischer’s story that is “heartwarming”. Fischer grew up not just without a father but without even knowing who his real father was. He struggled from the very beginning, getting expelled from school before finally dropping out, then becoming one of the greatest chess players of all time, captivating the world for a few years before cracking under the pressure and descending into paranoia and anti-Semitic delusions. Fischer’s story is a straight up tragedy. Chess players should stop using it as a shining example of the transformative positive power of chess. Second, to praise Fischer’s mother Regina as an “assertive chess mother” is just wrong. A more appropriate term would be “absent”. She literally moved out of the home and left Fischer alone at age 16, writing the following to a friend: ““It sounds terrible to leave a 16-year-old to his own devices, but he is probably happier that way” (2) Yes, the chess community can make good things happen in the world, as proven by Tani getting a home. We should celebrate this. But it can also take in vulnerable people, simultaneously glorify them and drive them towards madness, and cast them aside. If we want more of the good, we need to stop pretending that the bad things didn’t happen. And we really shouldn’t be rewriting one of the greatest tragedies in chess history as a heroic tale of success, just to cash in on all the excitement about the most positive thing to happen in the chess world in years. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-heart-warming-tale-of-the-8-year-old-chess-champion-is-quintessentially-american/2019/03/22/7a2fdf92-4cd9-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html?utm_term=.582131ea4083 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-heart-warming-ta... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Drops_out_of_school https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Drops_out_of_sch...

Bodell 8y ago

I cant remember the exact years, but I won two state championships in Idaho somewhere between 12-14 years of age (so early 2000’s I think. I would love to find some correlating information about this, but it seems the online records don’t go back that far). I even tied a game with a master who was 30-40 years older than me in a rated tournament. From what I remember I was the only one younger than 25 in many tournaments during those times. Nothing really happened though, it was mostly ignored, no school scholarships, no apartment, no money. I did get alot of offers for free lessons from high rated players, people who wanted to be able to say they taught the kid that won state. Truth was I was raised by a single mother who never had money enough to be able to afford things like chess lessons. I actually learned by playing “Chessmaster” on the original play station, sitting home alone in a trailer in Texas. No one including my mother found out that I knew how to play until a year or two later. I quite playing after moving to a different state, around 14 or 15 years old. We continued to live in near homeless circumstances until I was 18. “Near” is important here, as I grew older I learned about many of the small kindnesses of strangers and friends that kept us a float in times of turmoil. [In response to another comment here:] America is a place where we care a lot for a short period of time about one kid in one state winning one tournament. We really enjoy what are essentially lotteries, and their winners (this is not to imply that chess is some sort of crap shoot, but that simply from the perspective of the outside observer, so many circumstances are unseen, and that which rises to the level of public conciseness is absolutely due to luck). However, the thing in my humble anecdotal story that knows no country borders; The thing we (in my opinion) should be far more concerned with are the small kindnesses. The $200 dollars loaned for refinancing, to help a single mother leave a job that holds a car note over her head, for a better one (one that can pay for the rent and food and a good Christmas for a son), never asking to be paid back. I really loved this story. I would wish this kid and his family the best, but I have a feeling they don’t need my well wishes. They will be just fine, same as me and my mother, who both now live in infinity better circumstances.

Dangeranger 8y ago
You are right. One person's action to improve the life of another without any preconception of glamor is far greater than the fulfillment of donating to a heartwarming story, or hearing about a successful fundraiser. Our (American) attention is too easily focused on the next shiny thing and we pat ourselves on the back for cheering a worthy cause, without consideration of those left out of the spotlight. This story was amazing to witness, though not unexpected. We love to lift those who embody our virtues, without reflection as to where our backs are turned. We could all do to learn from the lesson of Tani's family and "spread the wealth" that which we receive, or send, to those in need who do not fit such a story book narrative.

purplezooey 8y ago

What about all the people that need a home and aren't chess champions..

uptownfunk 8y ago

The real tragedy, in all of this, is the feeling of compulsion that these economically disadvantaged kids face to use their intellect to improve their financial situation. There was a kid in my statistical theory class who blew my mind with his raw brain power. Came from Nigeria, could have easily pursued a PhD from a top program. Perhaps gone on to do some great research. Where did he end up..? An actuary. Why? The economic stability and progression in the profession. For me this is the real tragedy. I hope this kid gets to use his gift to do something more than afford an expensive bottle of wine some day.

newen 8y ago
On the other hand, his kids might have a better chance at using their gifts better. Not that failing a PhD program will put you in a bad place economically (I'd say it will put you in a worse place though) but having a stable job and enjoying other aspects of life is good too.
GrynetMolvin 8y ago
Why are you assuming that academic research is necessarily more valuable and/or interesting than being an actuary (which can involve some really sophisticated stats)? The big downside of the academy is that it's basically a zero-sum game. There's a limited pot of money, decided by the politics of the day, and all geniuses and near-geniuses are fighting for it. The added benefit of another smart person entering research is therefore limited. However, in industry, including the insurance industry, a smart person can create more growth than existed before he/she entered. The added economic stability is not in conflict to this.

wslh 8y ago

Does he have a Wikipedia page?

blizkreeg 8y ago

It's interesting to me how no one knows or is talking about the kid who lost to the champ. He is perhaps equally good but lost in this game.

hmcm55 8y ago
it's because the feat of winning K-3 NY State isn't that impressive. It's all the things he had to overcome/persevere through to get to that moment. The top players in the country that are his age are 2000+.
- renholder 8y ago
  >It's all the things he had to overcome/persevere through to get to that moment. You're demonstrating the OC's point: No one has any context around the kid who lost, it seems; so, for example, did he (or she) come from an equally disadvantaged position? If so, isn't he (or she) worthy of the same accolades and/or help simply for getting to that point, as well?
  - waterpigcow 8y ago
    it seems unlikely that second place came from an equally or more disadvantaged background. chess in general is a pretty exclusionary. sure the kid (tani?) might not have been the worst off kid at the tournament but kids from higher income schools or private schools might have an easier time dedicating time to the study of chess. what's significant to me is the difficulty of being homeless and dedicating time to studying anything, especially something extracurricular like chess. it's possible that second place came from the same place but if so you're kinda calling into question the entire premise of champions right? like caruana and carlsen are essentially the same strength so whats the use of calling carlsen the champion and giving him all the prize money?

starpilot 8y ago

A tidbit about the kid's work ethic: > “The average kids do 50 to 100 puzzles a week. (Tani) does like 500 puzzles a week,” [his chess coach] Martinez said. https://fox4kc.com/2019/03/22/homeless-8-year-old-who-learned-to-play-a-year-ago-is-now-a-new-york-chess-champion/ https://fox4kc.com/2019/03/22/homeless-8-year-old-who-learne... Pretty amazed at that effort. Far outstrips anything I did when I was 8 years old, I believe I watched a lot of cartoons.

cyborgx7 8y ago

Good for the kid, but the fact that he has to earn not being homeless is a disgrace. Not an uplifting story.

virgakwolfw 8y ago

Pure JOY! I admire the sterling character that the Adewumi family has so beautifully exhibited. It's so refreshing after the recent news about rich kids cheating to get into college. (And shall I mention Trump's Foundation, used to buy himself portraits of himself? ) Anyway, Tani, I see you have a very large heart and an incredibly bright future ahead!