Hardaway, Adewumi debut at World Rapid & Blitz

Brewington Hardaway and Tani Adewumi are currently making their debuts in the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Tournaments in New York City. It seems appropriate that these two young talents have a chance to test themselves against the world elite.

Most of the elite players in two sections (Open & Women) have descended onto Wall Street to compete for the official titles in Rapid and Blitz. Eighteen-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju of India recently won the classical, but would not be present to compete against the likes of Magnus Carlsen.

In fact, Hardaway played against Carlsen in the 6th round, which ended up being the starting point of a controversy on dress code. Nevertheless, Hardaway was ready and had the blessing of U.S. Chess President Kevin Pryor, who made the ceremonial move. It must’ve been quite an experience to get a chance to play a former world champion.

Hardaway has had a banner year earning two GM norms and completing the rating requirements last month. The 15-year-old sat down to play the world’s #1 and played to an interesting ending.

Hardaway scored 7/13 (+5-4=4), a respectable +1 score against all GMs. With a 2600 performance, he gains 229.2 Elo on his rapid rating. Here is his crushing win against Danish Grandmaster Mads Andersen.

Tanitoluwa Adewumi also got a wildcard spot for the event, and he has grown a lot since becoming a media sensation five years ago. Currently, he has scored the required norms for the IM title, but needs to reach 2400 Elo. In this tournament, he also scored 7/13 (+6-5=2) with a 2589 performance rating.

Tani remains active in seeking to elevate his game but has not played many rapid events. He told Charlize VanZyl that he enjoyed the opportunity to play against strong players. He took full advantage, playing some inspired games. He scored upsets in his first two rounds against GMs Robby Kevlishvili and Aleksandr Indijc. In his game against Indijc, he lost a piece in the middlegame but ended up compensating with black’s weakened king.

One other game of note was his 9th round game against GM Mads Andersen of Denmark. This was an absolute thriller out of a tame Italian game.

This was a strong showing by both New York teen stars. It is also a bright hope for those in the African Diaspora to see such young talent emerge. Maurice Ashley is doing the commentary and made wildcard nominations of both players, and Kevin Pryor of U.S. Chess is also on hand to witness a potential breakthrough at targeting an underserved demographic segment.

Today, the blitz tournament will start, and both are looking to improve their scores in a faster format. Hardaway, Adewumi and 14-year-old Grandmaster Andy Woodward were interviewed and gave their impressions of the event.

Video by Charlize Van Zyl/FIDE Chess

Video by FIDE Chess

Rapid: https://www.chess.com/events/info/2024-fide-world-rapid-chess-championships
Blitz: https://www.chess.com/events/info/2024-fide-world-blitz-chess-championships