Anyways, I'm all about balance here, so how's about some good news for a change? Alrighty then...
New Yorker Justus Williams, 12, has set the record as the youngest black chess player ever to reach the level of chess master.Congrats, Justus. This is quite an accomplishment, and you should be proud of yourself. We all should be.[2]
"I am really proud of Justus because he keeps breaking records and making history," said Latisha Ballard, Justus' mother, after the young chess whiz hit the 2,200 point barrier during a chess event on September 23 to achieve the master rating.
The U.S. Chess Federation awards the title of National Master to anyone who earns a USCF rating of 2,200. Justus achieved the master ranking just weeks after a disappointing performance at his first international competition, the Pan-American Youth Chess Festival in Brazil. Ballard said he was compromised by the language barrier and had trouble understanding the tournament rules for the event.
Ballard expects no such roadblocks in Justus' next international contest, the World Youth Championship in Halkidiki, Greece, October 19–31, after achieving one of his lifetime goals in becoming a chess master.
Justus is currently the highest-rated chess player in the United States in his age and gender group and ranks fourth overall in the World Chess Federation international rankings for age group.
We now return to our regularly scheduled ignance, already in progress...
Question: Is this great or what?!?
Justus Williams is Crowned Youngest Black Chess Master [AOLBV]
[1] Funny sidebar: "It Is What It Is" was going to be the original name of this blog. Someone had already taken it, and I just conjured up "AverageBro" while trying to find us unclaimed Blogger domain name. The rest, as they say, is history.
[2] I can already hear someone say "Big deal, this kid's 12. The youngest Asian Chessmaster is still in diapers!" Prolly true, but largely irrelevant.
