Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

[Hans Jung]

Nicholas Vettese, age 9, is improving very fast and I am very impressed. The above is my prediction. Dont let it rattle you Nicholas.:)

[Vlad Dobrich]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Nicholas Vettese, age 9, is improving very fast and I am very impressed. The above is my prediction. Dont let it rattle you Nicholas.:)

Just because he beat you like a rented mule! :D

[Hans Jung]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Wont deny it but as I said before its how he did it - first time playing the Bg5 Najdorf and found the best moves - very impressive!

[Michael Waldorf]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Here's an article about him at the Annex Chess Club site. Pretty impressive.

http://annexchessclub.com/2014/01/nicholas-vettese/

[Jeff Verman]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Thanks for the kind words for my son. My better half has spent a lot of time with him at various tournaments over the past year. It's good to see his very hard work paying off. I should point out there happen to be a good number of other children playing absolutely exceptional chess well worthy of notice who have done just as well. I hope this can lead to a true chess renaissance in Toronto specifically and in Canada generally. I've met some of these kids - and they all impress me very much. Their dedication and passion to chess is pretty amazing. Their skill set is rather astounding (to me). And they all seem like great kids. Most are now friendly acquaintances with each other. It's very nice to see.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Not many times I see a kid who would play by himself during the tournament.

As you see he was making moves for both sides. (I did that too long long time ago.)

The angle was not that great and I moved to a better location. We agreed with him that he would not look at me (a suggestion a learned during my wedding LOL )

One of the better shot:


Merciless


(if to look closely the chess board is reflecting in his glasses :)


Hans, you are not listening to P.Keres - beat kids as they are young as it might be too late later LOL

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Wont deny it but as I said before its how he did it - first time playing the Bg5 Najdorf and found the best moves - very impressive!

Did you play the poison pawn variation?

[Hans Jung]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Excellent interview. He's doing everything right! Wow! 165 games a year (I think I only did that once) Fischer and Carlsen for the best of reasons. Doesnt know what a chess engine is. Great coach. Great attitude. Wants to be a grandmaster. (Ive got news for him. He will be one before his teenage years are over as long as he sticks with it and keeps playing!)

[Hans Jung]

Re: Nicholas Vettese candidate for Canada's youngest chess master

Gary, I played the poison king variation (chuckle,chuckle) my own king was poisoned. (I was supposed to play Nbd7 before Qb6 but that is not what happened):o Never mind me. only one mistake and Nicholas crisply took advantage.

[Bob Armstrong]

Junior Chess - Cooperation (despite Competition)?

Thanks for the kind words for my son. My better half has spent a lot of time with him at various tournaments over the past year. It's good to see his very hard work paying off. I should point out there happen to be a good number of other children playing absolutely exceptional chess well worthy of notice who have done just as well. I hope this can lead to a true chess renaissance in Toronto specifically and in Canada generally. I've met some of these kids - and they all impress me very much. Their dedication and passion to chess is pretty amazing. Their skill set is rather astounding (to me). And they all seem like great kids. Most are now friendly acquaintances with each other. It's very nice to see.

Hi Jeff:

The last year has been interesting at Scarborough CC. Nicholas joined when I think he was below 1000. As he grew stronger he added Annex CC to his playing venues. He has been one of Canada's most active tournament players.

What I have noticed, after playing at SCC for 35 years, is that with the rise of extensive junior chess at SCC (likely now 60% of our membership), a kind of camaraderie has developed among the SCC junior parents, as well as between the children. I sense a lot more cooperation than competition now - parents congratulate other parents, when their own child may have lost to their child, and they congratulate the other child! There is a sense that all the SCC juniors are in it TOGETHER - a rising tide lifts all boats, as our SCC Secretary once said in a slightly different context. Everyone wants every SCC junior to improve, not just their own junior (which they do want too).

I'd love to know whether this is just wishful thinking and perception, or whether SCC junior parents actually do experience what I think I am perceiving.

I would be interested in knowing as well if this is a trend we are seeing in junior chess? Does this type of mutual support extend between chess families at weekend tournaments, where the parents children are often competing with other juniors they know in the same section?

Bob A

[Jeff Verman]

Re: Junior Chess - Cooperation (despite Competition)?

Hi Jeff:

The last year has been interesting at Scarborough CC. Nicholas joined when I think he was below 1000. As he grew stronger he added Annex CC to his playing venues. He has been one of Canada's most active tournament players.

What I have noticed, after playing at SCC for 35 years, is that with the rise of extensive junior chess at SCC (likely now 60% of our membership), a kind of camaraderie has developed among the SCC junior parents, as well as between the children. I sense a lot more cooperation than competition now - parents congratulate other parents, when their own child may have lost to their child, and they congratulate the other child! There is a sense that all the SCC juniors are in it TOGETHER - a rising tide lifts all boats, as our SCC Secretary once said in a slightly different context. Everyone wants every SCC junior to improve, not just their own junior (which they do want too).

I'd love to know whether this is just wishful thinking and perception, or whether SCC junior parents actually do experience what I think I am perceiving.

I would be interested in knowing as well if this is a trend we are seeing in junior chess? Does this type of mutual support extend between chess families at weekend tournaments, where the parents children are often competing with other juniors they know in the same section?

Bob A

All I can say is:

1) Kids today get taken to a lot more activities than they did when I was a kid.
2) I'm very impressed not just with these kids we are talking about - but also the dedication their parents constantly show them. The parents are indeed beginning to form a network and seem very supportive of each other. It can build into something special. But it will take effort from within mainly, but also from the circle of chess supporters around them. It will take organization. It will take keen attention to direction. A ship that is not being steered can go off in many directions.

But it is good to see such a healthy environment.

[Ed Seedhouse]

Re: Junior Chess - Cooperation (despite Competition)?

Well, Jason Cao became a FIDE master in 2010 at the age of 9. He would be 13 or 14 now and he's 2297 now and has been over 2300. He seems to have crossed the 2200 barrier in October 2012 when he would likely have been 12.

But technically he was a master at age 9 according to FIDE.