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  • Chess: US boy, 13, plots world chess domination

    New Vision, Uganda
    Oct 17 2014


    US boy, 13, plots world chess domination

    Publish Date: Oct 17, 2014


    Samuel Sevian may only be 13, but the American chess prodigy is in a hurry.

    He wants to become the youngest Grandmaster in the history of the
    United States. That honor currently goes to Ray Robson, who was
    crowned two weeks before his 15th birthday.

    Samuel will be 15 in December next year and is just 14 points from
    becoming Grandmaster.

    "I want to have this title," he tells AFP on the eve of a tournament
    in Arlington, a suburb of Washington. And the longer he can hold the
    title the better.

    But once he has that in the bag, he will chase his next dream: to be
    world champion.

    If he sounds confident, he has good reason. In 2006, in his first
    tournament, he became the youngest US Expert.

    Then at nine years, 11 months and 23 days he broke another record when
    he was crowned youngest American Master. And at 12 years and 10
    months, the youngest US International Master.

    The secret to his success? Practice. A lot of it.

    He spends his mornings being schooled at home -- he said no school
    would accept his tournament-dominated schedule -- and then plays chess
    for up to six hours every afternoon.

    Spending a single day without playing is unthinkable. And the thought
    of losing a match?

    "Losing is worse than dying," says the taciturn boy wonder, who moved
    his first chess piece at age five with his father Armen and was once a
    world champion in his age group.


    "I fell in love with the game," he adds.

    Now when father and son play chess together the pieces are arranged to
    Armen's advantage, otherwise Samuel wins too easily.

    Playing blindfolded



    Armen Sevian, a scientist who was born and raised in Armenia and later
    moved to the United States, is understandably proud -- but also
    worried.

    A chess Master himself in his youth -- before he decided to take up
    "other interests" -- he is eager for his son not to become "a chess
    freak."

    "I've tried to steer him away to something else, pretty much anything
    else," he says, explaining: "If you want to be at a high level, you
    can't do anything else. It's hours of work and dedication."


    But it is dedication that Samuel appears to relish, and his father
    admits that his son showed remarkable talent at a young age.

    "At age eight, he played five games blindfolded at the same time," he says.

    "He won all of them."

    Armen credits the Kasparov Chess Foundation -- legendary chess
    champion Garry Kasparov helps train Samuel online -- for helping the
    boy realize his dream.

    "The Garry Kasparov foundation is the only help we get, for trainings.
    It partially covers the expenses for the travels. It's a great help,"
    he says.

    International Master Greg Shahade admits the talent shown by
    youngsters like Samuel is frightening.

    "Children are soaking up and taking in information at a faster rate
    than ever before," he says.

    "There is information out there on the Internet that's fun and easy to
    read. There are tactics trainer programs that the top children are
    nearly obsessed with."

    Samuel, unlike many of his opponents, does not memorize moves from
    previous matches because it "is not necessary."

    Instead, he closely studies key positions of the game -- opening,
    middle and closing moves -- preferring a more tactical approach.

    "You just have to remember the key positions, not the whole game," he said.

    He painstakingly studies books and chess computer programs, and as
    well as getting advice from Kasparov, and meets international
    Grandmaster Alexander Chernin every two or three months.

    http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/660831-us-boy-13-plots-world-chess-domination.html

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