KibBlitzing with WCL Junior Grand Prix Leader Jack Hutton

Jack Hutton
Current place of residence: Bronxville, NY
Date of Birth: August 10, 1990
USCF Rating as of 11/7/08: 1919
WCL Junior Grand Prix Points: 135





Photo: Jack Hutton runs across the Golden Gate Bridge.


- What sparked your interest in chess?

I started by joining my school's first grade chess club and after I saw that I was pretty good I decided to pursue it.

- Who has influenced your play the most?

My chess teacher Sunil Weeramantry.

- What is the craziest thing you've ever had happen to you at a tournament?

When I traveled down to Houston last December for the grade nationals, I found it kind of funny that there was a gun show going on next to the playing hall. But then things just got weird when at the New York State High School Championships, the only other scholastic tournament I play in, there was also a gun show next to the playing room.

- If you could relive one great tournament victory--either your own or someone else's--what would it be and why?

I would probably relive my last game during the 2007 U.S. Amateur Team East, a win that let me finish the tournament with a score of 5.5/6. Due to conflicts with school and running, up until the first round of the tournament I had not even touched a chess piece for six months, so the tournament allowed me to regain a lot of confidence in myself.

- Do you have any favorite tricks you like to do with the chess pieces, like juggling or stacking them?

No.

- What is your favorite chess variant?

Shogi.

- If you were stuck on a desert island and could bring one chess book with you, what would it be?

The Best Lessons of a Chess Coach by Sunil Weeramantry. It is an amazing book that everyone should buy.

- What color should the dark squares be on a chessboard--green or black?

Myrtle.

- If you weren't a chess player, what would you be?

I am already a runner so I would use my new found time to either pursue filmmaking or play another thinking game such as Go.

- What is the meaning of life?

Love, whether it be found in nature, a god, or in one's relationships with others. Either that or NASCAR. ♦

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