In December of 2004 I had the pleasure of teaching a winter-break chess program at the Saint John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco for two weeks. During this time is when I met Nicholas Nip who became the youngest USCF Master in history shortly after in 2008. I remember thinking about how intently he looked at the board with focus and patience and this is memorable because only very serious children have the traits to take chess so seriously as young as he was. Nicholas was 6 and approaching 7 years old during our lessons.
This recently brought up a question in my mind. How old do you have to be to guarantee your place in chess history? Nicholas made chess history by achieving the master title at the young age of 9 years and 11 months old beating out Hikaru Nakamura and Bobby Fischer’s records. Most of us will not have the chance to accomplish such a task and our future may seem a bit dimmer than that of young masters, but it is the passion to progress that drives each of us to pursue dreams. I now believe that it is very important to recognize talent at an early age, but the amount of time that one spends alive on the planet earth is not the only factor to achieving greatness. There is always the U.S. Championship and other spectacular events to claim your fame!
Hard work through the proper use of time management is one of the key factors to improving at chess. Some enthusiasts reflect on stories of the greats who studied for long hours of the day (Fischer – 14 hours or more) and learned the game at ripe ages of 3, 4 and 5 years old. The main point is that learning at an early age allows more time for accumulated knowledge over a larger span. It may be more natural to amass experience slowly over time, but I also believe that you can force feed it. Fischer had the benefit of learning young, but his relentless need to study would have carried him to top levels whether he learned at age 6 or 23. Children have the luxury to spend their spare time on things such as chess and adults may have less time, but depending on the environment surrounding someone who wants to excel, the person in question will shape their environment to meet their needs. If your need is to become a master of chess or anything else, I encourage you to continue shaping your surroundings and yourself to reach that goal!
As soon as the instructors of the Academic Chess Institute (an instructional program in California) recognized how strong Nicholas Nip was becoming at the game, they had to quickly find a titled player to provide grandmaster caliber tips and systems. This can become a key turning point in the life of a player. GM Boris Kreiman became young Nip’s coach. I asked him if this was a case of “Searching for Bobby Fischer” such as the story of Josh Waitzkin, not knowing that at one point Boris and Josh were archrivals at a young age! He replied that Waitzkin no longer played very much if at all and that Nicholas will be a very strong player in a short time. I find it interesting that Nip has not played a recorded USCF game in a over a year now since gaining the title, but I do know that he put in a lot of effort studying, more-so than many people are willing to. Most days I have the opportunity to learn from my students and them from me, and Nicholas gave me a great lesson. Continue to strive for what is important to you and never give up on your dreams.