Tennis Legend Roger Federer Encounters Chess Prodigy Tani
Imagine a sun-filled day with an over-the-board game in a picturesque park such as Columbus Park in New York City. It’s a scene we all enjoy watching. Would you be surprised to see tennis great Roger Federer on one side of the chessboard facing an unassuming, young opponent not even yet a teenager? What if the opponent is the famous ChessKid Ambassador himself, FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi, better known by his nickname Tani?
Tani and Federer played three games earlier this month. What should you know? Tani played with just one rook, a definite advantage for the tennis star. Here’s what else you should know about Federer, Tani, and their chess games.
Does Roger Federer Play Chess?
Definitely. Federer is an avid chess player, according to Ivan Ljubicic, who coached him in tennis from 2016 to 2022 and is himself a former tennis world number-three. According to Ljubicic, Federer “likes to play bullet to kill time and distract himself…. He also knows the general ideas of what's happening in the chess world."
How Did Federer Get Interested In Chess?
Ljubicic takes credit for Federer’s interest in chess and says the 20-time Grand Slam champion saw “how fanatic I was about it [the game]” and “got hooked” by seeing how absorbed his coach was with chess.
Why Did Federer Play Tani?
The games with Tani were recorded as part of Federer’s new video series in which he visits his favorite cities around the world. The tennis legend’s visit to New York City includes four videos; the video about playing Tani, entitled “Meeting of the Masters,” is clearly the highlight and the most entertaining one.
The series also now includes videos recorded in Tokyo and will be expanded to other cities. Called 24 Hours with Roger, the series follows Federer “as he travels the globe 24 hours at a time” (and promotes clothing of LifeWear, one of his corporate sponsors).
Was Federer Nervous About Playing Tani?
Absolutely. The eight-time Wimbledon champion commented: "I haven't been nervous in a while since my playing days basically. But I’ve never sat across a chess master, so today, well I may be a little nervous.” On the other hand, Tani told Chess.com: “I wasn’t nervous at all”—by the way, he has also met other famous athletes such as Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants defensive end, and Grant Williams, Dallas Mavericks forward. Incidentally, Tani has played Williams (then with the Boston Celtics) “blindfolded” and won as the following video shows.
How Well Does Federer Play Chess?
After spending 90 minutes with Federer, Tani told Chess.com that if he had to give the tennis star a chess rating it would be under 1500. Tani explains: “I think Roger would be around 1300-1500. He can make plans which I think is already at that level; his weakness would be missing opponents' ideas deeper.”
What Did Tani Think About Playing Federer?
Tani described Federer as “humble.” The young prodigy told Chess.com: “He is very humble, and I can say he loves me because he said he had read so much about me."
Did Federer Give Tani Any Advice?
He did. Tani says: “He said that I shouldn't be too proud of myself and he will keep following me in my career.”
What Should You Know About Tani?
Tani’s story is now well-known by many Chess.com members and more broadly internationally since his autobiography, My Name Is Tani, was published in 2020. Born in Nigeria, he left his native county for the United States with his family in 2017 to escape violent threats from a terrorist organization. After he joined a chess club at his elementary school in New York City, Tani rapidly learned to play the game, has been gaining trophies ever since, and is projected to climb higher in the chess world after earning his second IM norm last year at the age of 11.
Would you be surprised to learn that Tani is one of five chess prodigies that ChessKid recommends that you watch in 2023?
By The Way, Did Tani Beat Federer?
Not only once but three times—even with rook odds. In all games, Tani established a very comfortable advantage early before checkmating his opponent. Did Federer ever stand a chance to win? He says: "I don’t even think for a second.” For example, one game ended in checkmate by Tani this way:
Reactions to Federer-Tani Games
The games caught the attention of GM Maurice Ashley who tweeted this reaction:
Federer and Tani playing chess together. Beautiful to watch. I’m even more of a fan of Roger now that I know he plays chess! 😃 #Legendary https://t.co/2bw7ihiTrg
— Maurice Ashley (@MauriceAshley) July 15, 2023
Similarly, content creator Nemo was equally enthralled with the video.
what a crazy chess and tennis crossover🥺🎾♟️
— Nemo (@akaNemsko) July 14, 2023
also super well produced by @UNIQLO_JP @rogerfederer https://t.co/4zVimwmzmi
Ray Linville’s high point as a chess player occurred when he swiped the queen of GM Hikaru Nakamura in a 60-second bullet game in 2021. This game was reported in a “My Best Move” column of the Chess Life magazine, published by the U.S. Chess Federation.
At Chess.com, he has been an editor (part-time) since 2019 and has edited news articles and tournament reports—including those of the Candidates and World Championship Tournaments and other major events—by titled players and noted chess writers as well as Game of the Day annotations by leading grandmasters. He has also been a contributing writer of chess terms, e-books, and general interest articles for ChessKid.com.
He enjoys “top blogger” status at Chess.com. His blog has won the award for Best Chess Blog from the Chess Journalists of America for several years. In addition, he has also been the recipient of first-place CJA awards for feature article, humorous contribution, online review, and educational lesson as well as honorable mention in the categories of personal narrative and historical article.
