Daniel Naroditsky Earns GM Title

2006

2013

For the young chess wizard Daniel Naroditsky, the journey to the Grandmaster title reads much like an epic poem by Homer.  Sharing a birthday with the great Mikhail Tal, the precocious Danya seemed destined to reach the highest level of international chess. His passport quickly filled with stamps from tournaments all around the world:  Ecuador, France, Georgia (the country) and Vietnam to name a few.

Learning from the champ himself: Garry Kasparov

My first recollection of the short Russian-American boy who needed a booster chair just to see the board dates back to the 2005 Far West Open in Reno.  Only 9 years old, Daniel dominated the B section with 5.5 out of 6, yielding a draw to my close friend, who finished in second place.  He captured the CalChess High School Championship at age 11, holding a draw against top seed and future GM Sam Shankland in the final round.  For an encore, he took on the World, winning the 2007 World Youth U12 in Turkey.  The climax saw Danya victorious as black against another future GM, with his California fans watching online in the middle of the night.

Daniel with fellow master Steven Zierk,
co-champs at 2008 CalChess Scholastics

As Daniel became more skilled, his aspirations shifted to international tournaments and norms.  He earned the titles of USCF National Master and FIDE Master during the final months of 2007.  The next giant leap came at the 2009 Western Chess Congress in Concord, where he finished clear first ahead of an octet of International Masters.  Not just a tournament player, Daniel undertook the monumental task of writing and editing a book on Mastering Positional Chess (published in March 2010).  The youngest chess author in the World finally scored three IM norms from July 2010 to January 2011, securing the coveted title on home turf at the 2011 Berkeley International.

The Grandmaster title would take another 2.5 years.  Danya quickly picked up the first GM norm at the 2011 Villa de Benasque Open in Spain, maintaining an undefeated record against six hungry Grandmasters, including three of the top five seeds.  However, the second GM norm proved more elusive.  Although most teenagers rest their tired brains during Spring Break, the energetic young master flew across country to share top honors at the 2013 Philadelphia Open, a feat worthy of another norm.  Three months later, Danya tempted fate at the 2013 Villa de Benasque Open, hoping for lightning to strike twice.  Thanks to another undefeated performance versus Grandmasters, it did!  Watch how the youthful author of Mastering Complex Endgames (published in January 2013) converts a middlegame edge into a winning minor piece endgame.

Congratulations to GM-elect Daniel Naroditsky!  As a friend, former coach and fan of the royal game, it has been an honor watching this young star shine over the years.  Indeed, his love for chess radiates warmly into anyone in his company for even a short while.  Here's wishing all the best for the remainder of the summer and a final year of high school!

Make sure to check out Daniel's personal website at http://danielnaroditskychess.com

For most enthusiastic chess players, winning the US Junior Invitational and subsequently completing the final GM norm would suffice for a successful summer of chess.  Not Daniel!  He started another tournament in Spain, the Cuitat de Balaguer Open, and already won the first three rounds.  And before returning to the Bay Area, the frequent flyer travels to Riga, the capital of Latvia, for one more event.  Gooood luck!

Chess Events Around the World

Alexander Alekhine

Mikhail Tal

One of the best ways to improve in chess is to play through master games.  I strongly encourage any student rated 1800+ to regularly review the games of recent elite Grandmaster tournaments.  Watch the world's top rated players or pick your own favorites.  Bay Area fans often follow American stars Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky or local prodigies Sam Shankland, Daniel Naroditsky and Sam Sevian.  Chinese families, for example, may cheer for Wang Hao, Ding Liren or rising star Wei Yi, who currently leads the national championship at just 13 years old.

What should you pick up from these games?  If you're an A player, you will want to learn from the positional strategies and tactical creativity of the super Grandmasters.  As you improve, you should imitate the style of your superiors.  Chess experts and masters will concentrate on their favorite openings, picking up new moves based on the latest trends.

In some sense, growth of the internet has diminished the importance of studying collections of games by the champions of yesteryear.  Nonetheless, any disciple of Caissa should read a few classics, e.g. Alekhine's Best Games of Chess (2 volumes), Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and My Sixty Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer.  The internet offers an expanding wealth of information to supplement the foundation presented in these books.  The modern chess student benefits from the resources at his fingertips, but must stay dedicated to keep up with an evolving body of theory.

My favorite website to watch tournaments is, of course, the Internet Chess Club.  You can also find quality chess reports, analysis, photos and videos elsewhere on the net, including Chessbase, Chessvibes, Chessdom, and The Week in Chess.  The MonRoi game database covers the top boards at major American tournaments.  (Hint: add these to your bookmarks.)

The international chess calendar is filled with exciting events over the next two months.

Magnus plays on "The Pulpit Rock" 2000 ft above a fjord to promote Norway tournament.

• 3rd FIDE Grand Prix in Zug, Switzerland (thru April 30) - 12 players including 11 of Top 20; favorites = Karjakin, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = Giri
• Alekhine Memorial in Paris (the Louvre) and St. Petersburg (thru May 1) - 10 players all 2700+; favorites = Aronion, Kramnik, Anand; dark horses = Adams, Ding Liren
• US Championships in St. Louis (May 2-13) - 24 players including 19 GMs; favorites = Kamsky, Gareev, Onischuk, Robson, Shankland; dark horses = Shabalov, Ramirez 
• Norway Chess in Stavanger (May 7-18) - 10 players including 7 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = anyone except Hammer could win!
• 4th FIDE Grand Prix in Madrid (May 22 - June 4) - 12 players including at least 9 of Top 20; favorites = Caruana, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = TBA
• Tal Memorial in Moscow (June 12-24) - 10 players including 6 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = two Russians: Kramnik and Morovezich