Do it for the kids

Sunday's Boston Globe Magazine has a lengthy article on several top scholastic players in Massachusetts, all of whom we've seen from time to time at the Boylston Chess Club. The profiled players include Andrew Wang, James Lung, Zaroug Jaleel and Winston Huang. The article also includes quotes from GM Larry Christiansen and, local MetroWest Chess Club player, Derek Slater.

At one point the author discusses the many reasons why these scholastic players often give up chess before reaching their full potential:

...there is peril in predicting whether a great young chess player will become a great adult chess player, especially in America. Chess is not a money sport here, even though there is a professional league.... There’s also the threat of puberty, which can change a young chess player’s dreams from grandmaster to girls practically overnight.

Read "Young Knights" soon, before the Boston Globe website archives it (registration may be required).

A Fortuitous Choice

I've previously noted that location can be an important factor when trying to maximize one's chances of winning a State Championship title. Now, we have a closer to home example of this phenomenon.

As a Massachusetts scholastic player, Jason Spector could often be found at the Boylston Chess Club. But even after he achieved an expert rating, he was never a serious threat to win the Mass. State Championship. Lucky for him, after graduating high school he went off to Bowdoin College, and subsequently won the 50th Maine State Championship.

The scholastic version of Jason Spector at the 2000 BU Open
(he'd be the smallest player in the picture)

More chess in the square

Here's another photo of the chess scene outside Au Bon Pain in Cambridge.

Modern Architecture and Chess

A view from inside MIT's Stata Center.