Student Spotlight
Bishop’s school student a chess master
By Lisa Deaderick, UNION-TRIBUNE
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at midnight
For Varun Krishnan, chess is a lot like life. And math.
“There are so many different aspects of the game and there’s so many different levels, and it’s hard to break every one. At a certain point, you think you’re strong and then there are so many people who are so much stronger than you,” said the 13-year-old. “The chess position is a common problem, like in life. Or just like a math problem… some can be easy and some can require hours to solve. There’ll always be a deeper move and there’ll always be deep ideas.”
Currently in eighth grade at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, Varun recently earned the title of Life Master from the United States Chess. The organization awards the national title to any player who reaches a rating of 2200, according to its website, and says that less than 1 percent of rated players hold the title. A life master is a national master who has played 300 games with a rating of over 2200.
“I was euphoric for a little while after I made it,” Varun said. “But I realized that there was more to be achieved. I would like to become a grand master and possibly the next world champion.”
Varun was 6 years old when his parents and grandmother taught him to play the game, and he soon joined the chess club at school and the San Diego Chess Club. He’s been selected to play on the All-America Chess team based on his rating and has twice competed in the World Youth Chess Championship in Turkey.
Varun also enjoys math, tennis and video games. Sometimes he’ll play chess with his younger brother, Ajay, who was inspired by Varun to learn the game and win his own trophies. Varun’s also thinking about his future.
“I’m thinking maybe economics and trying to win the Nobel Prize,” he pauses. “Just kidding. I just want to do something that helps the world that we live in as much as possible. I just notice when I go out to the world, there’s so many people who live in bad conditions and then I notice that there’s so many things in the world that could get better and I just want them to improve.”
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com
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