Teenage chess master competes, speaks at UF
At a glance
During his talk, Daniel Ludwig explained the solutions to difficult chess puzzles to a group of about 40 people
In an event that chess players call a “simul,” Ludwig played 20 opponents of all ages
Ludwig won the 2006 U.S. Masters Championship and is No. 2 in the nation for his age group
By VICTORIA WINKLER, Alligator Contributing Writer
In a normal setting, 20 against one would be unfair.
Daniel Ludwig, an 18–year–old senior chess master, walked around the inside of the rectangle that seated his 20 opponents of all ages.The competition, which chess players call a “simul,” took place in the rotunda of UF’s New Engineering Building Wednesday following a lecture he gave in the Reitz Union.
During his talk, he explained the solutions to difficult chess puzzles to a group of about 40 people. There were “oohs,” “ahs” and gasps from chess aficionados in the audience.
“This is why I play chess. Besides all the winning and losing, it’s art, and I like to create it,” Ludwig said, referring to a particularly elegant chess solution.
Ludwig won the 2006 U.S. Masters Championship, and he said he’s No. 2 in the nation for his age group.
He’s been in a simul with two other players against 150 opponents at once, and he estimates he can play about five opponents in what they call blind simuls, where the player calls out the moves and can see the board only in his or her mind.
“He lives and breathes chess,” said John Harris, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering at UF and sponsor for the Gator Chess Club.
Here is the full story.
Daniel’s lecture was very instructive, he has a dynamic approach to teach chess that can motivate college students (even not chess players) to make questions and sign for the chess club just after his description of chess as a form of Art.
The simul was awesome!, Ludwig’s aggressive style was a good test to my Lion defense, which was able to hold the draw against the master.
I hope our chess club can develop in the middle future a strong chess program ( similar to our Football, Basketball or Volleyball programs)that can recruit talents like Daniel or the substantial number of FIDE masters that come to UF to get graduates degrees.
Miguel
Care to share that game with us?