Artwork by the talented Mike Magnan
Students take on three-time U.S. chess champion
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Feb. 14, 2007
Members of the chess club at Westside Christian Academy had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play one of the greatest chess players in the world Friday.
Chess grandmaster Alex Shabalov, who was the U.S. chess champion in 1993, 2000 and 2003, visited the Center Ridge Road school to speak to students and challenge each of them in a match.
Shabalov, who was born in Latvia in 1967, started playing chess at age 8 and later studied under world champion Mikhail Tal.
Shabalov said he was pleased to see so many students learning chess at such a young age.
“It’s very nice to see you all here interested in playing chess and playing in tournaments,” Shabalov told the students. “Fantastic.”
Here is the full article.
Nice story. It will be a great memory for those kids. And I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a master take Black in an exhibition.