Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Youngest Chess Author

Here's something that really pisses me off.

Tune into the airwaves and you're very likely to hear some pop-song about love all sung by some bloody 14-year old. If it's not on radio, then just check out the most popular talent shows on TV. The saccharine rhymes are enough to make me wanna puke. I'm always thinking: what the hell do you know about love you dumbass?

I bring this up because some 14-year old kid in the US has just published a book making him, apparently, the "youngest chess author ever".

The book title? "Mastering Positional Chess".

I thought maybe he settled for a book on 1-2 combos or cheapo gambits or perhaps something like, "Between World of Warcraft and the 64 Squares - How I Became a Junior World Champion". Oh no, he's onto positional chess!

Now the kid's a FIDE Master with a FIDE rating of 2388, so I dare not ask him a similar sort of question I asked a love struck 14-year old. For doubtless, FM Daniel Naroditsky knows quite a fair bit about the game. But I don't know, I just don't know. There's something unsettling about taking chess lessons from a kid.

Note that a book on endgames is also forthcoming. One thing is certain: young Daniel is full of ambition. At least in publishing.