Author: John Merlino
Date: 12:26:39 06/19/02
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On June 19, 2002 at 15:13:32, Rajen Gupta wrote: >Who exactly is josh waitzkin and what sort of role does he have in the >development of chessmaster? is he one of the co-progrmmers alongside johann de >konning and john merlino? i hear his name everytime i read about chessmaster but >have n't been able to figure out what he is. > >rajen Here are some segments from the biography that is going to (eventually) be on the Chessmaster website: Josh Waitzkin was born in New York City, December 4, 1976. Josh caught a glimpse of a chess set at 6 years old, while walking with his mother in Washington Square Park, and he quickly fell in love with the game. His first teachers were down and out hustlers who only cleaned up their acts when their protege came to play. Josh won the National Primary Championship in 1986 and the National Junior High Championship in 1988 while in the fifth grade. That same year Fred Waitzkin's book "Searching for Bobby Fischer" was published to critical success. The book intimately documented Josh's early career, and would soon go on to become a best seller. At the age of eleven, Josh drew a game with World Champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition. In 1989 Josh continued his rise to the top of the scholastic chess scene, winning the National Elementary Championship. At age 13, Josh earned the title of National Master. He won the National Junior High Championship for the second time in 1990, and the Senior High Championship in 1991, as well as the U.S. Cadet Championship (under-sixteen). At 16, he became an International Master. In 1993, he was the U.S. Junior Co-Champion, and in 1994 he won the Under-21 U.S. Junior Championship and placed fourth in the Under-18 World Championship. Josh’s current chess ratings are USCF: 2525 and FIDE: 2464. In 1993, Paramount Pictures released the film "Searching for Bobby Fischer", thrusting Josh into the international spotlight. At 18, Josh became an acclaimed chess author penning his book entitled Attacking Chess. Wanting to further expand the audience to whom he could teach and share his love of chess, Josh released the instructional video "Chess Starts Here" in 1997 also featuring his first teacher, Bruce Pandolfini. The video, with its fantastic teaching style and compelling lessons, received excellent reviews and won awards at the Houston Worldfest, The Communicator and NY Festivals, as well as the award for Best Instructional Video from Videographer Magazine. It remains the leading instructional video in chess today. At 21, Josh became a spokesperson for the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - a deadly form of Muscular Dystrophy affecting children. Traveling annually to Memphis, Tennessee, Josh lends his time, emotion, chess skills, and name to this wonderful cause - raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. For his efforts the Mayor of Memphis awarded Josh the key to the city. In his hometown of New York City, Josh teaches chess to children privately, and has also successfully coached the children of P.S. 116 to win the New York City Championship, the New York State Championship and second place in the National Scholastic Championship. In addition to his intense chess life, Josh is also a gifted athlete deeply involved in the study of the martial art Tai Chi Chuan. Having spent many years working with the most respected chess trainers in the world, Josh considers his Tai Chi sifu, Grandmaster William CC Chen, to be the greatest teacher he has ever met. Competing in Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands, Josh is steadily adding to his list of accomplishments having already won four National Championship titles and eight International titles. Josh is currently the middleweight Push Hands US National Champion. Josh now studies Eastern Philosophy and Religion at Columbia University. He cites his greatest influences as Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Mahatma Gandhi, Siddhartha Guatama, and Lao Tzu. Josh is currently working on his much anticipated second book, due out in late 2003. A great athlete, mind, and scholar, Josh's combined twelve National Championship titles, rich intellectual life, dedication to causes greater than himself, and handsome presence in interviews and on screen, have kept him in constant demand. Over the past several years, Josh has appeared in all media venues from Regis and Kathy Lee, MTV, and The Today Show to Sports Illustrated for Kids and Detour. jm
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