KibBlitzing with International Youth Campers Hughes & Jamison

Tyler Hughes
Current place of residence: Wheat Ridge, CO
Date of Birth: December 26, 1990
USCF Rating as of 11/27/08: 2265
WCL Junior Grand Prix Points: 35

Courtney Jamison
Current place of residence: Dallas, TX
Date of Birth: November 27, 1991
USCF Rating as of 11/27/08: 2023
WCL Junior Grand Prix Points: 55




Pictured: Jamison, Hughes, and Hilton stand in front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Photo by Alex Hubsch


- What did you eat for breakfast in Germany?

Courtney Jamison (CJ): The normal European breakfast (that wasn’t stereotyping, was it?) consisting of breads, luncheon meats, muesli (the highlight of my morning!), coffee, orange juice, and nutella! (after my brother got me onto this hazelnutty/chocolatey goodness, how could I ever go back to just plain butter?)

Tyler Hughes (TH): Coffee and bread, nothing special.

- What kind of music did you listen to?

CJ: What don’t I listen to? I was mostly listening to Sergio Mendes’ “the Swinger from Rio,” (which I think is THE coolest name for an album.) and this playlist I have with various 80s one-hit wonders like Haircut 100, Adam Ant, and more longer lasting artists like Human League and Prince. The basic 80s new-wave I guess? Oh, and you can never forget The Doors - they’re a classic.

TH: The musical "Chess".

- Craziest moment?

CJ: So many! But the craziest was either the Bermuda Party with the cream of the crop chess players of the world drinking to their heart’s content, or that certain section of the Museum of Hygiene that was rather uncensored. I probably shouldn’t elaborate on that.

TH: Tie between Shirov following us to the Bermuda party and watching Jonathan Hilton juggle oranges in a moving tram.

- Saddest moment?

CJ: It really was the last night; having to say goodbye to all the kids that I had known for only a week, but felt so close to, was incredibly tough! The whole trip felt surreal with every new adventure, but having to leave that all to trek back home? It felt almost impossible! I think the only reason I didn’t cry when hugging friends was that I was utterly exhausted from roaming around the old city in the middle of the night.

TH: Leaving.

- Name a life lesson you took away from the International Youth Camp.

CJ: I learned to not center myself on just my own culture, but open myself to the world’s customs and ideas. Even if my opinions didn’t change about certain topics, at least I had gotten a feel for other perspectives out there. Also, even though we all came from different places and backgrounds, we are all the same young people growing up and learning about life.

TH: Always take the time to enjoy the moment.

- What chess variant do you consider yourself most skilled in?

CJ: I think I am probably the best at bughouse (or tandem, or shock, or whatever you call it!) but ONLY with an experienced partner; basically I’m a great follower, but not a great leader.

TH: Bughouse.

- Favorite German chocolate?

CJ: This really neat chocolate by the maker Chateau, where there is milk chocolate with a white chocolate center and cereal mixed in. It’s really weird because I usually hate white chocolate, but I’m absolutely addicted to this stuff!

TH: Toffifee.

- What is your "% of life" spent on ICC? (Do the command "pers" on ICC to see it.)

CJ: 1.68%. Oh goodness that is so sad! But! I use trainingbot quite frequently! Does that count?

TH: 9.51%.

- What is the meaning of life?

CJ: Well, I think life means finding what road fulfills you and driving down that road, no matter how treacherous or unpopular. It means to travel the world and tastes their cultures and to come back and realize you belong somewhere in that big and crazy world. It means to be content with everything you’ve accomplished in life, and forget the things you didn’t. It means to love differently as much as you can, and forgive always.

TH: To live a life of meaning.

- Finally, my Fabiano question: What would you be if you weren't a chess player?

CJ: I would really like to learn how to sew, or maybe be a good badminton player. That would be pretty awesome.

TH: A jazz pianist. ♦

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