Andrew Tang started playing chess when he was 4 years old. While other kids were building castles out of blocks, he was learning the strategy of knights, bishops and kings.
It came as a shock to Andrew’s parents that their 4-year-old wanted to learn chess. After a classmate’s parent showed his preschool class some basics, Andrew wanted his parents to sign him up. At first they were skeptical. They thought Andrew was too young. “I kept begging my mom until she finally agreed,” Andrew says.
“He was the most focused in his class, even as the youngest one,” says Patrick Tang, Andrew’s father.
“We didn’t feel right away Andrew would be really good because we saw a lot of kids playing chess, but only a small fraction were great,” Patrick adds. “We didn’t expect much in the beginning.”
After learning the game for about two years, Andrew began going to tournaments at age 6. He struggled in his first competition, partly due to his very young age. He had the skills to be great, but his parents believed he needed to continue to grow and learn to concentrate.
The Tangs kept entering Andrew in tournaments, many of which were national competitions. Participants receive ratings, and it took another couple of years for Andrew, then 8, to start climbing the ranks. Even at that age, he had a clear goal. “I’ve always wanted to become a Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can achieve,” Andrew says.
Around the same time that Andrew began showing more promise in chess, the Tangs moved from Illinois to Minnesota. His parents had always worried about Andrew fitting in socially, and chess gave him an outlet to meet new people and come out of his shell. “I think chess has definitely helped him grow,” Patrick says. “He has made a lot of friends outside of school through chess.”
Now a freshman at Wayzata High School, Andrew has played in more than 200 chess tournaments. His accomplishments include a three-way tie for first place at the 2014 North American Youth Chess Championship, a four-way tie for first at the 2013 Barber Tournament of K-8 State Championship, and four first place finishes in the Minnesota Junior High Championship. He has climbed the ranks to become one of the highest-rated youth players in the country.
All those tournaments led up to his greatest accomplishment of all: winning the 2014 North American Junior Chess Championship last summer. Andrew won six consecutive games to take first place. Unlike previous national tournaments, he stood alone at the top. “I totally did not expect to win the tournament, and I was speechless after I got clear first,” Andrew says.
By winning the tournament, Andrew achieved International Master status. This is one step away from his ultimate goal of becoming a Grandmaster. To reach his goal, he must either continue to climb in ratings, or win a world championship tournament.
While there is still plenty of time for Andrew to become a Grandmaster, it is unlikely he will ever become a professional chess player. Unlike many of his chess peers, Andrew attends traditional school, meaning he only takes part in tournaments during breaks. Most of his competition is homeschooled and makes chess a top priority.
A top player, Andrew plans to continue his pursuit of becoming a Grandmaster.
