The most intriguing player from the U.S. Chess School

August 16, 12:34 AMChess ExaminerSteve Goldberg

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All photos are from Elizabeth Vicary

Of course, every one of the players from the 10th session of the U.S. Chess School is very talented and brings something special to the table.

As Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis Executive Director Tony Rich commented, "Each of the young ladies in this all-girl edition of the chess school is probably stronger than everyone else in the building"  (except for the instructors).

With the caveat that time didn't allow this reporter to get to know all the participants, the player that may be the most intriguing isn't a girl at all.

He's nine-year-old Jonathan Chiang, brother of participant Sarah Chiang. Jonathan was one of the players at an earlier session of the U.S. Chess School and is a remarkable child.

At one point, IM Greg Shahade presented a "White to move and win" problem to Jonathan. After about thirty seconds thought, he looked up at Greg and said, "It's pretty easy," as he found the initial move to the problem. Greg responded, "No it's not!" as he watched Jonathan contend with various stalemating options that Black had available. In short order, though, Jonathan indeed found the correct path to seal the victory.

This is one to keep an eye on for the future.