Agence France Presse
November 28, 2014 Friday 1:42 AM GMT
At 13, Sevian is youngest-ever US chess Grandmaster
WASHINGTON, Nov 28 2014
Not many people can claim to have shattered a major American record at
13 years, 10 months and 27 days.
But chess prodigy Samuel Sevian can now do just that, after being
crowned America’s youngest-ever Grandmaster, easily besting the
country’s previous record holder by more than a year.
At a tournament in St Louis last weekend, he won all four of his games
to push his World Chess Federation rating past 2,500 points — enough
to secure Grandmaster status.
“I feel really good and somewhat relieved. This was one of my best
tournament performances,” the teen told AFP, noting that he had beaten
three Grandmasters during the event in only 20-25 moves.
His father Armen — a scientist born and raised in Armenia who later
emigrated to the United States — is bursting with pride.
“He really outplayed his opponents in three games. But the fourth, it
was really back and forth, it wasn’t clear,” he said.
“It was like a blitz, it came down to the last seconds. Both players
were shaking.”
The previous record for the youngest US Grandmaster was held by Ray
Robson, who achieved the title two weeks before he turned 15. American
legend Bobby Fischer also once held the record.
At an August tournament, the bespectacled Samuel had put the record
within reach, getting to within 14 points of the 2,500 needed for the
elite Grandmaster title.
The young chess wizard is well accustomed to setting US records,
having become the youngest American Expert (another ranking) shortly
before his 10th birthday.
At 12 years and 10 months, he became the country’s youngest
International Master.
Samuel’s next target is to get to 2,600 points, which would secure him
invitations to the most prestigious tournaments.
His ultimate dream is to become world champion; the question is when
he will be ready to tackle the challenge.
“It’s way out in the future and I don’t want to busy my head with it
now. First, I would need to improve my game,” he said.
“After my big win in St Louis, my confidence level is high. This
definitely helps.”
The chess star’s father said he is the sixth-youngest Grandmaster in the world.
The youngest person to win the status is Russia’s Sergey Karjakin, who
became a Grandmaster when he was just 12 years and seven months old.
Samuel, who lives in the Boston area, said he was overcome with
emotion when he realized he was about to achieve elite status in the
chess world.
“The pressure was enormous when I played my fourth game, which I
needed to win to go over the 2,500 mark,” he said.
“I’m suddenly a Grandmaster and felt overwhelmed.”
In the coming weeks, Samuel will spend three days in New York at the
Garry Kasparov Foundation. The chess legend is one of Samuel’s regular
trainers and will be present for the three-day visit.
The foundation hailed his achievement, saying he is “the world’s first
Grandmaster born in this millennium.”
After celebrating his 14th birthday on December 26, Samuel will
participate in another tournament in the Netherlands.
“We want to go more to Europe. There’s stronger competition over
there,” said Armen Sevian, himself a former high-level player.