7-year-old West Covina boy beats chess master in tournament game
By J.D. Velasco, SGVN
Posted: 04/26/2012 12:23:21 AM PDT
WEST COVINA – In a lot of ways, Joaquin Perkins is like many 7-year-old boys. He plays basketball, watches cartoons and enjoys Pokemon trading cards.
But unlike most boys his age, Joaquin possesses a fearsome set of chess-playing skills. He has been winning chess tournaments since kindergarten.
Earlier this month, he beat a national chess master during a tournament game in Garden Grove.
“It felt pretty good,” Joaquin said. “I like beating people.”
Joaquin’s recent win makes him the seventh- youngest player to ever beat a chess master in an official tournament game.
While Joaquin was already a highly ranked chess player before the game, his opponent, Pablo Pena, was ranked even higher. Pena, 43, earlier this year beat an international chess master to win a tournament in Irvine.
Joaquin has been playing chess in some capacity since he was 2 years old, said his father, Kele Perkins. He entered his first tournament at 3 1/2.
Perkins said he had been taught chess by his own father at a young age. He stopped playing after high school, but when he had a son of his own, he decided to pass along the tradition.
“It’s not that chess is really important, it’s the kind of things that it would generate,” Kele Perkins said. “Studies indicate that it has these cognitive benefits.”
Kele Perkins said they had no idea who Joaquin would be playing when he signed up for this month’s tournament.
“We just showed up and the master showed up,” Kele Perkins said. “I was hoping he would give him a decent game.”
Joaquin said he wasn’t really worried about playing a chess master when he sat down at the table.
“Not at first, but in the end I was pretty nervous,” Joaquin said.
Until the end, it seemed as though Pena would beat his son, Kele Perkins said.
“When they had about a minute left Pablo (Pena) made a mistake and blundered,” Kele Perkins said.
Joaquin said his dad told him he should pursue chess professionally when he’s older, but he seems more interested in being an NBA basketball player.
One day he asked his dad if he should play for the Lakers or the Miami Heat when he gets bigger. His favorite players are Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade.
While he has mastered the chess board, Joaquin still has a few things to learn about basketball, his dad said.
“He has no idea what kind of work it takes to be one of the best in the country for something like basketball,” Kele Perkins said.
Source: http://www.sgvtribune.com
Where is the list of the seven youngest player to ever beat a chess master in an official tournament game?
The discussion on US Chess says he was 8 years old. The April top 100 lists also list him as 8. What gives?? (Note: game was played 4/13/12)
It’s a shame that the article didn’t mention his coach, Joe Hanley. Joe is a great coach.
@ Anonymous: I believe Mike Nolan at the USCF has that information. He had to do some checking to eliminate some mistaken info, e.g. based on incorrect USCF ID numbers and/or incorrect birthdates given to USCF. I believe Awonder Liang beat a master a bit younger (but still at age 8) before beating an IM soon after. I believe Tan Nguyen has already defeated master Boris Zisman twice, and that he is younger than Joaquin.
@ fpawn: The author made a mistake. It was corrected in at least one online version (photo caption still wrong): http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_20484415/7-year-old-west-covina-boy-beats-chess
@ S. McCloskey: Joe Hanley was Joaquin’s coach for about two and a half years, but is not his coach anymore. He did an excellent job with Joaquin, and is due much of the credit for Joaquin’s national championships.
@ S.McCloskey: Joe Hanley was indeed Joaquin’s coach for about two and a half years. He did a great job and is due much of the credit for Joaquin’s national championships.
@ fpawn: Joaquin is 8; the author made a mistake. It was corrected in at least one online version of the same artcle (photo caption still wrong): http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_20484415/7-year-old-west-covina-boy-beats-chess
@ Anonymous: Mike Nolan (mnolan@uschess.org) is likely to have that information, but I think the USCF does not want to release any information that reveals too much specificity about age (e.g. down to the day) for reasons relating to privacy. You can see the discussion posts to which fpawn refers.