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Elon Musk, as a first-year science student at Queen's University in the early 1990s, showed up at an event called 'Clubs' Night', an early fall term recruitment for new Clubs' members, held over two consecutive nights. Several dozen Clubs were represented there. I was manning the Queen's University Chess Club station, and was offering a free 3-board simul with any players who wished to play; as asked to do so by Club governance figures; people could then sign up at the same time, with contact info. The same system is still used today.
I recall Elon as a somewhat shy young man, tall and slender, polite, and clearly very intelligent, who challenged me, and lasted about 20 moves before losing; he had some talent, and we had a brief analysis session afterwards, where he asked questions on where he had gone wrong. He had played on his school chess team in South Africa, but told me he had been losing interest in chess, as he discovered other possible hobbies and areas of knowledge. He signed up as a prospective Chess Club member, but as it turned out, the Queen's Games Club meetings were on the same night as QUCC meetings! He and his friends preferred that club, and his group would sometimes drop by chess after those meetings ended, to play a few casual games among themselves, for no more than half an hour or so. He never took a formal part in any QUCC organized activities, although I did ask him and his group to turn out more often. It was a no-cost entry.
Elon studied science for two years at Queen's, as a very late registrant in his first year; he had wanted Engineering, but that program was full. He had had a year in western Canada living with relatives, after leaving South Africa. He then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania for engineering, and completed his degree three years later.
I recall Elon as a somewhat shy young man, tall and slender, polite, and clearly very intelligent, who challenged me, and lasted about 20 moves before losing; he had some talent, and we had a brief analysis session afterwards, where he asked questions on where he had gone wrong. He had played on his school chess team in South Africa, but told me he had been losing interest in chess, as he discovered other possible hobbies and areas of knowledge. He signed up as a prospective Chess Club member, but as it turned out, the Queen's Games Club meetings were on the same night as QUCC meetings! He and his friends preferred that club, and his group would sometimes drop by chess after those meetings ended, to play a few casual games among themselves, for no more than half an hour or so. He never took a formal part in any QUCC organized activities, although I did ask him and his group to turn out more often. It was a no-cost entry.
Elon studied science for two years at Queen's, as a very late registrant in his first year; he had wanted Engineering, but that program was full. He had had a year in western Canada living with relatives, after leaving South Africa. He then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania for engineering, and completed his degree three years later.
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