ChessKid Ambassador Tani Adewumi Becomes International Master
Tani Adewumi, ChessKid ambassador and star of the show Tani vs. the World, has just earned his final international master (IM) requirement! Competing in the NYC Chess Norms Spring 2025, the fourteen-year-old was able to quickly win his first four of five rounds, passing the 2400 rating threshold and qualifying for the IM title.It was a hard-fought journey for the ChessKid ambassador, having already obtained four(!) IM norms—players only need three to earn the title! Tani earned his first norm back when he was just eleven, at the 2022 New York Spring Invitational. He then earned his second and third norms later that year, and was only missing the rating requirement to achieve the title.
Tani with his first IM norm certificate. Photo courtesy the Adewumi family.
In the meantime, Tani racked up many impressive feats, showing just how talented he is as a young prodigy of the game. He competed against 20-time Grand Slam champion and tennis legend Roger Federer with rook odds (meaning one of Tani's rooks was removed even before the game began) and won all three games!
Roger and Tani playing in NYC!
Tani also won the U.S. Cadet Championship, one of the most prestigious and strongest international events for young players, defeated five grandmasters in the 2024 World Rapid Championship, beat IM Levy Rozman (GothamChess), and attained a fourth IM norm in the same year that he was simultaneously climbing to 2400 to reach IM!
Tani at the 2024 World Rapid Championship. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
Tani Says…
"The IM Title means a lot as it is my next step in my GM journey. I didn't really celebrate when I crossed 2400 or even after the tournament, because the job is not done yet. I played my best chess and got a great result after the fifth round and God helped me in all :)"
Check out Tani's fifth round win against GM Oliver Barbosa, the round that pushed his rating past the 2400 mark!
FunMasterMike Says…
"In truth, Tani has been IM-strength for a while. I'm delighted to see him achieve the final requirement to formally reach the milestone. He has worked hard to get here and I know he's not done achieving great things in chess and in life!"
We can't wait to see what Tani's next big accomplishment will be! If you'd like to learn more about FM Tani Adewumi, play against the Tani bot on ChessKid, or see his great win defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura, check out his bio!