Chess Grandmasters

With the advances in computer technology, access to latest chess games and theories is quick and easy. This allowed thirteen chess prodigies in the last fifteen years to earn grandmaster titles before their fifteenth birthday. Playing chess to earn the chess grandmaster title is a challenging goal. Less than one percent of chess players gain the master and grandmaster titles. Grandmasters (GMs) have a great deal of commitment, determination, and they practice many hours every day. They memorize various openings, middle games and end games. GMs travel to as many as fifty countries during their chess career. The youngest ever females to become grandmasters are Judit Polgar of Hungary and Koneru Humpy of India, who became GMs at 15 years old. There are less than 1,500 GMs in the world. It is interesting to note that thirty percent of the world’s top 100 rated chess players are in the age category of twenty to twenty-five. Garry Kasparov of Russia became the youngest ever World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of twenty-two.

Chess Prodigies

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The current world chess champion is GM Viswanathan Anand of India. Born on December 11, 1969, he picked his early lessons in chess, at the age of six from his mother, Susila Viswanathan. Anand holds a degree in Commerce and lives in Spain and India. He has been honoured with many prestigious awards like the Arjuna Award, the Padma Shri, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the Padma Bhushan, the Sportstar, Sportsman of the Millennium, the Birla Living Legends and the Jameo de Oro Award.

“Anand is one of the greatest sport persons that India ever had.” – Rajendra S. Pawan, Chairman, NIIT

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By Zeljka Malobabic, The 2006 Canadian Chess Championship, Toronto

Igor Zugic is a 24-year-old International Master from Toronto . He works as a software engineer at Siemens. Igor holds an engineering degree from the University of Toronto.

When did you learn to play chess?
My father thought me to play chess when I was five. I played my first tournament when I was eleven. It was a weekend open tourney.

What was your best tournament?
I really like the Canadian Championship 2006. It is very well organized. A team of GMs versus a team of juniors in 2003 was great as well.

Was it easy to win the Canadian Zonal? Which game is your favorite?
It was very challenging. I am happy that I won. My favorite games are with Robert Hamilton and Tomas Krnan.

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