Masterminds Chess Prodigies
Unlike many other fields, in chess, kids can sometimes compete with—and defeat—adults. Chess prodigies are young players who excel at the game. Masterminds tells the stories of talented young players from the 19th century to the present. It features artifacts from the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame and loans from prodigies and former prodigies, including World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Grandmaster Leinier Dominguez, Woman Candidate Master Alice Lee, 2020 U.S. Chess Champion Wesley So, International Master Christopher Yoo, and 2016 World Junior Chess Champion Jeffery Xiong. Prodigies in the United States In the United States, many of the country’s most celebrated players gained fame as children. One of the most prominent American chess players is also one of the game’s most wellknown prodigies. Future world chess champion Bobby Fischer learned to play chess at age six, and after a few years, he began to set records. At age 13, he played “The Game of the Century” against Donald Byrne, a player twice his age. Roughly a year later, Fischer won his first U.S. Chess Championship. Fischer’s early accomplishments and his later victory in the 1972 World Chess Championship popularized the game in America, especially among young people.
Saint Louis Chess Campus The Saint Louis Chess Campus, which includes the World Chess Hall of Fame and Saint Louis Chess Club (SLCC), is fortunate to welcome many of today’s most talented young players. Since 2009, the Saint Louis Chess Club has hosted the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, and since 2017, it has hosted the U.S. Junior Girls’ Chess Championship. Some important milestones have also been achieved at the SLCC. Sam Sevian, the youngest person to achieve the grandmaster (GM) rating in the United States, earned his last norm in the Saint Louis GM Norm Invitational Tournament. The SLCC also serves children in the Saint Louis community, reaching out to over 75,000 students in 200 schools and making chess part of the curriculum. In a survey, a majority of the kids reported that playing chess made them feel more confident in handling difficult materials and tasks. They also reported wanting to attend school more on days that they had chess. The SLCC hopes to develop prodigies in the Saint Louis region. Prodigies in the U.S. and Around the World Many of today’s top players, including World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, were chess prodigies. In the United States, each of the country’s top four players—Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez, and Hikaru Nakamura—started
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam GM Magnus Carlsen at the 12th Sigeman & Co Tournament, Copenhagen, Denmark 2004 Courtesy of Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam
Match of the Millennials Medal 2017 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of the Saint Louis Chess Club Photo by Austin Fuller
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam GM Fabiano Caruana 2008 Courtesy of Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam
Crystal Fuller Tanitoluwa Adewumi Visits the Saint Louis Chess Club during the 2019 U.S. Chess Championship March 30, 2019 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
their impressive careers as children. Nakamura even held the record as the country’s youngest grandmaster for many years. One of the most famous groups of chess prodigies are the Polgar sisters—Susan, Sofia, and Judit. Their father, Laszlo Polgar, raised the trio with the intention of creating geniuses. All three made chess history. Susan was the first woman to earn the grandmaster title through tournament play and to win the “triple crown,” the Women’s world blitz, rapid, and classical titles. Judit was the first person to break Bobby Fischer’s record of attaining the title of grandmaster at age 15, was the first (and to date) only woman to qualify for the final stages of the world chess championship cycle, and achieved the highest rating ever earned by a woman. Sofia earned fame for her achievements in the “Sack of Rome,” in which she earned a performance rating over 2900 at the Rome 1989 tournament against competitors many years her elder. Masterminds In the past two years, chess prodigies—real and fictional—have captured the imagination of people around the U.S. In 2019, the story of Tanitoluwa Adewumi, an eight-year-old Nigerian refugee who won the K-3 New York State Championship only a year after beginning to play the game, was broadcast on news outlets around the country. More recently, The Queen’s Gambit, the story of the fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon,
attracted over 62 million viewers during its first 28 days on Netflix. Masterminds tells these stories among many others, and we hope that they will inspire you to take up the game, no matter your age. Emily Allred, Curator World Chess Hall of Fame
Young Stars
By GM Alejandro Ramirez Talent is a driving force in success, but talent itself is not enough to achieve greatness. Hard work and proper guidance are necessary elements for talent to reach its full potential. The Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) and the Saint Louis Chess Club have run the very successful Young Stars – Team USA program to train top level talent in our sport since 2011. This program has helped to develop several American chess prodigies from across the country. Team USA has been capped off with personalized training sessions with legendary World Champion and World Chess Hall of Fame inductee Garry Kasparov and the elite coaching staff of head coach Grandmaster (GM) Alexander Chernin, FIDE Senior Trainer Michael Khodarkovsky, GM Gabor Kallai, GM Vladimir Georgiev, and GM Alex Onischuk. As world champion, Kasparov certainly left his mark in all aspects of chess. His dominant reign is closely studied by generations of aspiring chess players. His knowledge of the game and his vast amount of experience are extremely helpful to guide the new and upcoming generations. Many of the players highlighted throughout Masterminds: Chess Prodigies have been part of the successful Young Stars program, and some of them are current students.
Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Alice Lee is the program’s youngest current student at only 10 years of age. Despite her precocity, she can already boast of having two world championship titles! She won the 2019 World Cadet Championship held in Weifang, China, in the Girls u10 section, and recently she won the Girls u12 section gold medal in the 2020 World Cadet Championship, which was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Abhimanyu Mishra’s talent and hard work propelled him in 2019 to obtain the title of international master at the young age of 10 years, 9 months, and 3 days. Abhimanyu is the current world record holder for obtaining this title. International Master (IM) Carissa Yip is America’s most promising female player. At only 16 years of age, Carissa caused a sensation in the 2020 Cairns Cup, the strongest round robin female tournament on the planet. This was crowned by a victory against reigning Women’s World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun. In September 2019, Carissa became the top-ranked female player in the country. She is currently ranked second, behind 8-time U.S. Women’s Champion Irina Krush. The success of the program can easily be measured by the quality of the alumni. Through many hours of guided learning and dedication to the game, Young Stars were able to take Kasparov’s and other coaches’ lessons and apply them to
Austin Fuller GM Awonder Liang at Round 3 of the 2019 U.S. Junior Chess Championship 2019 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
Crystal Fuller IM Abhimanyu Mishra Plays a Simul November 27, 2019 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
Lennart Ootes IM Carissa Yip Competes in Round 4 of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship March 23, 2019 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
Lennart Ootes GM Jeffery Xiong Competes in Round 7 of the 2016 U.S. Chess Championship April 21, 2016 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
their careers. Several of these players have become known around the world. GM Kayden Troff won the World Youth Championship u14 in Maribor, Slovenia, in 2012. He obtained his last GM norm in the 2014 Saint Louis Invitational at the tender age of 16. GM Samuel Sevian’s striking debut in the 2015 U.S. Championship, where he scored 50% and qualified for the 2015 World Cup, marked him as a great future player. He holds the record for the youngest American grandmaster in history, earning his final GM norm here in Saint Louis. His world youth gold medal also came in 2012 in Maribor, in the u12 category. GM Awonder Liang is a two-time world champion in his age categories and is the second-youngest grandmaster in American history, achieving his title when he was only a few months older than Sevian. Awonder’s result in the 2020 U.S. Championship, where he tied for fifth with GM Sam Shankland, proved how strong he can be. GM Jeffery Xiong is the Young Stars’ highest-rated alumnus. At a blistering 2709, Jeffery is already one of the world’s elite chess players: he won the 2016 World Junior Championship at the age of 15. His exceptional performance in the 2019 World Cup, where he reached the quarter finals after defeating players like GM Anish Giri and GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, attracted worldwide attention.
The Young Stars program has paved the way to success for some of the greatest stars of American chess. The goal of finding and fomenting the next generation of grandmasters and even world championship contenders is not an easy one, but certainly very rewarding.
Master Moves IM John Donaldson
Learn more about chess prodigies from around the world through this selection of their memorable games. Can you determine how they overcame their opponents? GM Wesley So’s Philippines National Juniors Chess Championship Trophy 2007 Collection of Wesley So Photo by Austin Fuller
Magnus Carlsen
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam GM Magnus Carlsen at the 66th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands 2004 Courtesy of Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam
Magnus Carlsen – Sergey Karjakin New York, 2016 Y
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Born on November 30, 1990, in Tonsberg, Norway, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen is already considered one of the greatest players of all time. Carlsen learned the rules of the game at the age of five, but he did not compete in a tournament until he was 8 years and 7 months old. Rated only 904 in June 2000, Carlsen raised his rating by 1000 points the following year—one of the greatest jumps in improvement in the history of the game. His subsequent progress was no less dramatic: international master at 12, grandmaster at 13, and rated fourth in the world at 17. In 2009, he became the highest-rated player in the world even though he had only played competitive chess for 11 years. Four years later, he became world champion at age 22.
The 2016 World Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin came down to a playoff to determine the title, and the final game witnessed one of the prettiest finishes in the history of the game. Can you find how Magnus successfully defended his title by checkmating Black in two moves?
SOLUTION
The queen sacrifice 50.Qh6+ forced Karjakin’s resignation as 50…Kxh6 allows 51.Rh8 mating and 50…gxh6 is answered by 51.Rxf7 mate.
Bobby Fischer
Photographer unknown Bobby Fischer and Jack Collins Playing Chess in his Home c. 1956 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame
Donald Byrne – Robert James Fischer New York, 1956
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Born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer is arguably the most famous player in chess history. Bobby started playing at age six, but unlike other great talents his initial progress was slow. He only made an even score in the 1955 U.S. Junior Championship, but won the event the following year and that fall defeated Donald Byrne in the “Game of the Century.” Fischer continued improving at an unprecedented pace and by late 1958 was one of the top ten players in the world. This earned him the grandmaster title at the age of 15, a record that stood for over 30 years. Bobby became world champion in 1972 when he defeated Boris Spassky in Reykjavík, Iceland, a match that attracted worldwide attention.
Dubbed the “Game of the Century” by tournament director Hans Kmoch, 13-year-old Bobby Fischer uncorked a powerful combination starting with the beautiful counterattack at move 17 and ending with checkmate on move 41. Can you see how Bobby ended the game in one move?
SOLUTION
Bobby took advantage of his four attacking pieces and the absence of any escape squares around White’s king to deliver checkmate with 41...Rc2.
Sergey Karjakin
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam GM Sergey Karjakin 2002 Courtesy of Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam
Zhao Xue – Sergey Karjakin Tiayuan, 2005
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Born on January 12, 1990, Grandmaster (GM) Sergey Karjakin started playing chess at the age of five and became an international master before his 12th birthday. Even more remarkably, in August 2002, he broke the record of GM Bu Xiangzhi of China to become the world’s youngest grandmaster at the age of 12 years and 7 months. Millions of kids have learned to play since then, but Karjakin’s record still stands. Karjakin won the FIDE World Cup in 2015 and then finished first in the 2016 Candidates Tournament. This earned him the right to play in the World Championship against Magnus Carlsen, which he lost by the narrowest of margins.
GM Sergey Karjakin delivered an unexpected checkmate against GM Zhao Xue, who has represented China in many international competitions. White’s last move attacked Black’s knight, but rather than move it, Karjakin found something stronger.
SOLUTION
White’s last move was a terrible mistake and overlooked the fact that the pawn advance took away her only flight square for her king. The punishment was swift: 60…g5 checkmate.
Leroy Muhammad
Chess Life, Vol. 21, No. 10 May 28, 1976 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame Used with permission of US Chess
Walter Grombacher – Leroy Muhammad Seattle, 1966
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Leroy Muhammad (born Jackson), born on November 30, 1948, in Saint Louis, Missouri, didn’t start playing competitive chess until he was 16, but that did not prevent his meteoric rise over the next few years. His magic year was 1966 when, while still attending Sumner High School, he tied for first in the 265-player Eastern Open held in Washington, D.C. Jackson followed up on this result by winning the top junior prize at the U.S. Open in Seattle, Washington. These performances and others raised his rating over 2200, making him one of the first African-American chess masters in the United States. Muhammad would go on to dominate Missouri chess in the late 1960s but gave up the game soon after, never having the opportunity to fully realize his potential.
Seventeen-year-old Saint Louis native Leroy Muhammad made a national name for himself in 1966, achieving several outstanding results around the country. Here, at the U.S. Open, the second most important tournament in the country at the time, the end is at hand for Chicago Class A player Walter Grombacher. How did Leroy end the game?
SOLUTION
Leroy took advantage of the fact that White’s king was confined to the back rank by Black’s king, bishop and f-pawn and delivered mate with 42…g2.
Hikaru Nakamura
Photographer unknown GM Hikaru Nakamura at the 1998 Chicago Open, Chicago, Illinois May 1998 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of Raquel Browne
Hikaru Nakamura – Dragan Solak Istanbul, 2012
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Born on December 9, 1987, in Hirakata, Japan, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura immigrated to the United States at an early age. By today’s standards he was a late starter, playing in his first tournament at age eight. He soon made dramatic progress, first breaking the record for the youngest American master at age 10 and then Bobby Fischer’s record as the youngest U.S. grandmaster at age 15 years and 79 days. Nakamura won the first of his five U.S. championship titles in December 2004 at age 16, the youngest title holder since Fischer. Rated as high as number two in the world at 2816 and number one at rapid and blitz, Hikaru is recognized as one of the greatest American chess players.
GM Hikaru Nakamura has been one of the best American players for close to two decades and is number 10 all-time on the FIDE list with a peak rating of 2819. He is known for his exceptional ability at fast time controls. Can you find how he instantly ended the following game against Turkish grandmaster Dragan Solak?
SOLUTION
This task might look impossible at first glance, but if you notice the pawn on f7 is pinned you will find that 31.Qe6 delivers checkmate.
Judit Polgar
Bill Hook GM Judit Polgar at the 1995 Intel Grand Prix, New York, New York 1995 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of Raquel Browne
Vasilios Kotronias – Judit Polgar Corfu, 1990
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Born on July 23, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary, Judit Polgar is considered the strongest female player of all time. The youngest of three famous sisters, Polgar started playing in tournaments at the age of six, and her talent soon became apparent. She became an international master at age 12 and the same year helped Hungary win the Women’s Chess Olympiad. A few months later, Polgar set a record that has yet to be broken when she became the youngest player to break into the top 100 rated players in the world, ranking No. 55 on the January 1989 FIDE rating list. In 1991, Judit cemented her status as one of the all-time great prodigies when she broke Bobby Fischer’s record of over 30 years as the youngest grandmaster.
14-year-old Judit Polgar was developing into a worldclass player when she won a tournament on the Greek island of Corfu in 1990. How did she finish off the famous opening theoretician Grandmaster Vasilios Kotronias?
SOLUTION
Despite being near the middle of the board, the white king doesn’t have a single flight square and Judit ended the game with 37... Rf2, checkmating Kotronias.
Hou Yifan
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam GM Hou Yifan 2007 Courtesy of Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam
Jan Michael Sprenger – Hou Yifan Germany, 2019
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Born on February 27, 1994, in Xinghua, China, Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan learned to play at age three and commenced serious study at age five. Hou turned in master performances at 9 and in 2005 at only 11 years of age played in the World Team Championship (China fielded both Men’s and Women’s teams). In 2008, at age 14 years, 6 months, and 6 days of age, Hou shattered Judit Polgar’s record as the youngest female grandmaster by almost a year. At age 16, she broke Maya Chiburdanidze’s 30-year-old record as the youngest-ever women’s world chess champion. Hou Yifan, with a peak FIDE rating of 2686, is universally recognized as the second-strongest female player of all time.
Women’s World Chess Champion Hou Yifan of China is the secondhighest-rated female player of all time. Here in a sharp Sicilian, her attack has come through first. Can you find out how she exploited the absence of any protection around White’s king to end the game in just one move?
SOLUTION
Black finished things off with 32… Qc3 checkmate. Notice how White’s queen was far removed from the action on the other side of the board.
Carissa Yip
Lennart Ootes IM Carissa Yip Competes in Round 5 of the 2020 Cairns Cup February 11, 2020 Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame
Nastassja Matus – Carissa Yip Saint Louis, 2018
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Born on September 10, 2003, in Boston, Massachusetts, International Master Carissa Yip is one of the greatest female prodigies in the history of American chess. Yip first began competing in tournaments at the age of seven and within a year of play was rated close to 1600, 200 points higher than the average rating of US Chess Federation adult members. Carissa would go on to set several American records, including youngest female expert (age 10), youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster (age 10), youngest female master (age 11), and youngest female international master (age 16). Currently Carissa is tied for the 44th spot on the Women’s FIDE rating list and is the second-rated American female player after GM Irina Krush.
Seventeen-year-old International Master Carissa Yip is one of the greatest female talents the United States has ever produced. Here she has forced Woman FIDE Master Nastassja Matus to walk the plank with her king. Can you find how Carissa ended the game in one move?
SOLUTION
White’s king, which has been forced up the board, is surrounded by Black pieces. Carissa finished things off with 40…Rh5 checkmate.
Jeffery Xiong
Austin Fuller GM Jeffery Xiong Competes in Round 5 of the 2015 Junior Closed July 11, 2015 Courtesy of the Saint Louis Chess Club
Jeffery Xiong – Andrew Tang Internet, 2019
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Born on October 30, 2000, in Plano, Texas, Jeffery Xiong is one of the most outstanding American chess talents. Since playing in his first tournament in March 2007, his career has been on a steady climb upwards, starting with achieving an expert rating at age eight. Xiong became an international master shortly after his 12th birthday and is one of just four American-born players, including Fabiano Caruana, Ray Robson, and Sam Sevian, to earn the grandmaster title before their 15th birthday. Crossing the 2600 barrier at age 16 and 2700 at age 18, Jeffery is currently tied for number 31 in the world with his 21st birthday still in the future.
Twenty-year-old Jeffery Xiong is one of only nine American players to crack the 2700 barrier. Here he has sacrificed his queen to prepare a checkmate that has been known since the 1700s. Can you find it?
SOLUTION
The Black king is hemmed in by its own pieces and pawns which White exploits by delivering checkmate with 27. Nf7. The idea of Qg8+ followed by Nf7 mate is attributed to the great French player Philidor and is sometimes called the Smothered Mate.
Masterminds: Chess Prodigies February 11-November 7, 2021
WCHOF STAFF
Curated by Emily Allred, Curator, with Shannon Bailey, Chief Curator, World Chess Hall of Fame
General Manager Joy Bray
The World Chess Hall of Fame acknowledges Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield and Rex Sinquefield, whose generous support makes our exhibitions possible. Special Thanks to: The World Chess Hall of Fame would like to thank all of the talented and generous people who contributed to this exhibition, including: Lenders: Henrik and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Lotis Key and GM Wesley So, Vanessa and WCM Alice Lee, Wayne and GM Jeffery Xiong, GM Leinier Dominguez, Young and IM Christopher Yoo, and US Chess. Writers: Legendary World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, FST Michael Khodarkovsky, GM Alejandro Ramirez, and the Kasparov Chess Foundation International Master John Donaldson The Saint Louis Chess Campus: Tony Rich, Erik Arnson, Rebecca Buffington, Caleb Denby, Jonathan Schrantz, Ben Simon, Danny Machuca, Kyle Weber, and the staff of the Saint Louis Chess Club MIND. ART. EXPERIENCE. Related programming and a pdf of this brochure are available for download at worldchesshof.org. Donations support our exhibitions, education, outreach, and events. World Chess Hall of Fame 4652 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 (314) 367-WCHF (9243) | worldchesshof.org @WorldChessHOF #MastermindsChess The mission of the World Chess Hall of Fame is to educate visitors, fans, players, and scholars by collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting the game of chess and its continuing cultural and artistic significance. The Museum does not discriminate or permit harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin in the treatment of individuals with respect to employment, or admission or access to Museum facilities, programs or activities.
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