And Why Do I Want to Know Why He's Famous?

Christopher Heung -- The New Junior GP Leader!

In the World Chess Live Junior Grand Prix, the goal is simple: beat or draw higher-rated opponents to earn JGP points. Since the competition is open to players of all skills, we've seen top JGP leaders of all different levels so far this inaugural year, from National Masters to players rated well below 1000. Yet it seemed for quite awhile that the competition had grown stagnant. Several players had around 100 points, but no one could make a real breakthrough, pushing through the ranks...

...Until, that is, a USCF Expert from Florida named Christopher Heung flattened several National Masters faster than you could say "mate-in-two". Since the beginning of the year, Christopher has defeated twelve players 100+ points higher rated than himself in Grand Prix tournaments. He's obviously a fighting player--despite having twelve wins, he only has four such upset draws! As it stands now, he's earned 140 Junior Grand Prix points, putting him in first place.

So what do we know about Christopher Heung? Well, Your Kindly Editor (YKE) hasn't managed to learn too much yet. However, several of Heung's higher-rated victims are acquaintances of that same editor, so you can expect that he'll learn some tidbits here and there and present them as time goes on. Hopefully, Heung will be in a future KibBlitz.

But, here's what YKE did find out. There is a really terrific New York Times article on Heung's early chess childhood experiences, duking it out with Ray Robson for a national grade level title in 2003. Also, now with a 2100, Heung is the #6-rated 13-year-old in the United States. Congratulations to Heung for shaking up the 2008 World Chess Live Junior Grand Prix!

What is the Junior Grand Prix?

So about now you're probably wondering, gee whiz, I've heard about the Junior Grand Prix before, but I have no idea what it really is. Well, basically, a player under the age of 21 who defeats or draws a player rated 100 points higher than his or herself in a Grand Prix event gains Junior Grand Prix points--five for a draw, ten for a win. The Grand Prix? A $1,000 expense stipend to the 2009 U.S. Open in Indiana!

So, if you still have questions about the Junior Grand Prix, be sure to check out the complete rules.

Kiblitzing with Bughouse Champions!

Keeping in the spirit of scholastic chess here, this week's KibBlitz features our current reigning K-12 National Bughouse Champions, Amanda Mateer and Emily Francis. The two take turns tackling tougher questions than usual--both answered elegantly questions other KibBlitzers have brushed aside. In fact, you'll find everything from clothing and appearance to chess and the meaning of life covered in this week's KibBlitz.

Mateer and Francis met each other at a Florida chess camp in 2005 and have been close friends every since. Although Mateer, a USCF Expert, has a much higher chess rating, Francis is possibly the better bughouse player of the pair! Their triumph in this year's High School Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia was considered a bit of an upset, as the two Tan brothers, Jared Tan and Derek Tan, had combined to form a high-powered team. However, the Mateer-Francis team won out on the computer tiebreak with 9.0/10.0. You can still check the bughouse standings from last April's event here.

Chess.FM Update

This week joining IM John Watson on Chess Talk is FIDE Master and former British Junior Champion, Dr. James Vigus. He’s a regular book reviewer and contributor to British Chess Magazine, and was editor of Dragon (Cambridge University Chess Magazine).

James is also an enthusiastic new author for Everyman Chess, with two well-received books to his name: The Pirc in Black and White, and his latest, Play the Slav.

Click here to watch the show.