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Playing Tips from Chess Child Prodigies

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Troff Boys with Chess Trophies

Here’s a rare opportunity to learn a little from Utah’s 2009 chess champions, 10 year-old Kayden Troff and his older brother Jeremy Troff. They’ve shared with us a few of their tips and ideas on improving your chess skills.

Study
“You must always have an idea of what you want to do and how you are going to do it. Second, you must practice as much as you can. Even if you lose you can learn a lot of things and the experience of playing will help you a lot.” – Jeremy Troff

“Knowing the basics of chess is only the first. If you really want to be good at chess, you have to study and find someone who can teach you.” – Kayden Troff

Practice, Practice, Practice
“Just like anything else, to get really good you have to practice.” – Kayden Troff

“There are many things involved in chess that even experts are still trying to learn everything. Always practice because if you take a long break from chess, you can actually get worse. It is just like anything else that you want to be good at, if you don’t practice you will not get better.” – Jeremy Troff

“No matter how much chess knowledge you have, it can not replace real experience over the chess board. You have to go to chess tournaments.” – Kayden Troff

Learn From Your Losses
According to Jeremy, it’s important to remember that no matter how good you are, you will occasionally lose. “No one wins all of their chess matches. But if you look at your losses as an opportunity to learn then there is a lot of benefit from that.” As a Grandmaster shared with Jeremy, “You can learn so much more from your losses than you can from your wins.”

Find Good Chess Software
If you’re starting out or even for those more advanced, Jeremy recommends Chess Tactics for Beginners. “The next one up is Chess Tactics for Intermediate Players. This is very hard chess software and one I think would take anyone a long time to do if they wanted to get a good score on it.”

One of the most important lessons for Kayden came from Grandmaster Kaidanov, who taught him the important of openings, and using chess software from Chessbase like Fritz and Deep Rybka 3 to improve his rating.

“My little sister is learning chess from a computer program called Dinosaur Chess. That is a fun way to learn chess.” – Kayden Troff

“The best chess software is the Russian tactics software. The first one is called Chess Tactics for Beginners. They should also get Fritz or another chess analysis program. And they should get an ICC account so they can play people all around the world any time they want.” – Kayden Troff

Find Someone to Teach You
“You have to find someone who can teach you. The first thing is to learn the name of the chess pieces, how they move, and what there value is. It is always good to try and find other people that you can play with either in a school chess club or at a library chess club or you can go to a chess camp like we have. You can also take chess lessons.” – Kayden Troff

Play Both Sides of the Board
“It is not enough to just focus on what you are doing. You have to figure out what your opponent is going to do and always ask what their threat is.” – Kayden Troff

Have Fun With Chess
“Chess takes work and study and is not something you are going to put the time into unless you really like it.” – Kayden Troff

Jeremy and Kayden Troff host a chess camp along with other young chess experts in Utah. For more information about their chess camp, visit the TNT Chess Camp website.

Tags: chess software, jeremy troff, kayden troff
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One-on-One With Child Chess Prodigy

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Kayden Troff: Child Chess Prodigy

He’s played chess with a number of Grandmasters – and even beat an international master.
He’s the 2009 Utah State G60 Chess Champion.
He’s the 2009 Utah State Blitz Chess Champion.
He hosts a chess camp for talented scholastic chess players.
He’s only 10 years old.

He’s Kayden Troff – and here’s a one-on-one interview with the child chess prodigy:

What’s your favorite chess experience/memory of playing chess?
I have four favorite chess memories. The first one was winning the state elementary championship for the fourth time. I was excited to keep my streak alive. I am the only one from the state of Utah to have done that. My second favorite memory was taking 2nd place in Nationals. At first I was really nervous about being at Nationals. There are so many kids there. By the end of the tournament I had 5 wins and 2 draws giving me 6 points total. I was tied with the boy who went into the tournament rated second and my friend told me that they didn’t think there was any way that I would win in tie breaks so when I did, I was so excited!! Third, was winning the Utah State Speed Chess. This is a mostly adult tournament and no kid has ever won it before. At the Utah Open Championship I was playing in the final championship game, but I lost. So, when I went to this Championship, I really wanted to win, but I knew that there were a lot of really good Blitz players including a Master level player. When I realized that I had the championship no matter what, I was very excited. My final favorite memory happened last Saturday. I played in the Utah G60 championship. After 4 wins, I knew that all I needed was a draw to guarantee the championship. I ended up having to play my good friend, Scott Treiman, for the championship. After 15 moves we agreed on a draw to guarantee 1st for me and at least a tie for 2nd for Scott. I especially liked the $120.00 I won!!!!

What do you enjoy the most about playing chess?
I love the challenge of chess! Chess is like a puzzle and I love puzzles. But the great thing about chess is that the puzzle is always changing. It is always a different game and always a different challenge. I also enjoy all the different experiences and places I get to go to because of chess.

Has chess helped you in your other pursuits and academic studies?
YES!!!! Chess teaches about how to solve problems. This helps me a lot in math. It also teaches me how to study and work hard at something, which definitely helps in school.

What has chess taught you about growing up as a kid and life in general?
Chess has taught me that hard work is very important if you want good results. Even with something that I love, it is not always easy. Good things in life are not always easy. The things that really mean the most always take hard work. You have to decide how much it means to you. I have also learned that sometimes people are not very nice. Sometimes they say things that hurt your feelings, but you still have to do what you think is right.

You’ve played chess with a number of Grandmasters – what was that like? What are a few of the great lessons you learned from them?
Playing a grandmaster is like meeting up with one of your favorite sports stars. It is fun just to have the chance to play them even if you loose. Igor Ivanov taught me that the Russians believe that you can’t be a grand master until you can play an entire board blindfolded. One time he played me blindfolded and I was really excited because I thought I could beat him since he was blindfolded, but he still beat me! He also told me once that once you hit a rating of 1700, that is when the real work begins. I didn’t really believe him because it seemed like a lot of work to get to 1700, but when I got there, I figured out what he meant and knew that it was true. Grandmaster Kaidanov helped me a lot on my openings and taught me how important they were. He also taught me how to teach myself using Chessbase software like Fritz and Deep Rybka 3. This has been one of the most important lessons for me as I have worked to get to a 2000 rating. He also told me to always keep chess fun!

What advice do you have for other kids learning and playing chess?
1-PRACTICE!! Just like anything else, to get really good you have to practice.
2-STUDY!! Knowing the basics of chess is only the first. If you really want to be good at chess, you have to study and find someone who can teach you. Or, come to our chess camp!
3-EXPERIENCE!! No matter how much chess knowledge you have, it can not replace real experience over the board. You have to go to chess tournaments.
4-PLAY BOTH SIDES OF THE BOARD! It is not enough to just focus on what you are doing. You have to figure out what your opponent is going to do and always ask what their threat is.
5-TO REALLY GET GOOD AT CHESS, YOU HAVE TO REALLY LIKE IT! Chess takes work and study and is not something you are going to put the time into unless you really like it.

If I’m not a chess player, but I want to start learning – what would you recommend I do?
You have to find someone who can teach you. The first thing is to learn the name of the pieces, how they move, and what there value is. It is always good to try and find other people that you can play with either in a school chess club or at a library chess club or you can go to a chess camp like we have. You can also take chess lessons. There is software you can get. My little sister is learning chess from a computer program called Dinosaur Chess. That is a fun way to learn chess.

You host chess camps throughout the year for youth wanting to learn chess – what is your favorite thing about teaching others to play chess?
It is fun to teach other people what I love to do. It is fun to be with other kids my age who play chess. And it is fun to play them in a quick game where they have 5 minutes and I have 1 minute.

What chess software or learning tools would you recommend for kids your age?
The best software is the Russian tactics software. The first one is called Chess Tactics for Beginners. They should also get Fritz or another chess analysis program. And they should get an ICC account so they can play people all around the world any time they want.

Anything else you’d like to tell kid and adult chess players about yourself or the game of chess?
Chess is a great sport!! My brother and I argue about whether or not it is a sport, but I think it is. It involves skill and competition and has professionals, but no matter what you call it, it is great!! One day I want to be a grandmaster. I am working very hard to make that happen. I hope that my story can make other kids want to play chess.

A note from the author: I’d like to thank Kayden Troff for his willingness to share his thoughts and experiences with us. I have been very impressed with both the family’s kindness and Kayden’s exciting accomplishments in chess – and Wholesale Chess and myself wish them all much luck in their future endeavors.

Top image source: Deseret News.

Tags: kayden troff
Posted in Chess Club Corner, Chess Learning Center | 2 Comments »

One-on-One with State Chess Champ

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Jeremy Troff: 2009 Utah State High School Chess Champ

Ever wondered what’s it like being a State Chess Champion? In the following one-on-one interview with previous 2008 Jr. High and present 2009 Utah State High School Chess Champ Jeremy Troff , a Wholesale Chess member, tells us all about his experiences with chess.

What’s your favorite chess experience/memory of playing chess?
My favorite experience is when I won the Jr. High State Championship in 2008. I started playing in the state tournaments when I was in 5th grade. My grade was really tough and included some of the top chess players in the state: Tony Chen and Adam Mielke. Every year, I would fall short of taking the state title. When I reached my final year of Jr. High, I really wanted to take the title. When I finally won it and had to beat both my rivals (even though we are all friends) to do it, that was an amazing feeling! I have since won the State High School Championship, but winning the Jr. High was my best memory!

What do you enjoy most about playing chess?
Chess isn’t something that most people know how to do. I enjoy the novelty of it and the surprise in people when they find out that I am a tournament chess player. I love the mind challenge that it presents to me each time I start to play.

Has chess helped you in your other pursuits and academic studies?
Chess has been a huge benefit to me in all aspects of my life! Everything I have learned in chess, I can use to my benefit in other areas. Chess forces you to think things through and to keep your mind focused. It teaches you how to plan and how to analyze a situation. I am a runner for Bingham High School. I use the things I have learned through chess, all the time in my running.

What has chess taught you about growing up as a kid and life in general?
One of the main things is that I have learned that I love to be with my family. My parents have always helped us pursue our dreams. Plus chess is just a mini game of life. Every time we go to move we have to consider all the possibilities. This is just like in life when we must choose where we will go and what we will do. Every thing has a consequence whether you are playing on the chess board or going through life.

You’ve played chess with a number of Grandmasters-what was it like? What are a few of the great lessons you learned from them?
I remember the first time we had a Grandmaster over I was just thinking about how bad we were going to lose. One of the first things he asked us to do was get our losses off the Internet chess club so that we could look at them. When he only went over our losses I started to wonder why he didn’t go over our wins. I asked him one day and he said, “What am I going to do, look over your wins and say good job? You can learn so much more from your losses than you can from your wins. This is something I will always remember. No matter how good you are, there will be losses. No one wins all of their chess matches. But if you look at your losses as an opportunity to learn then there is a lot of benefit from that. I have used that and many other things he taught me to prepare for my own private teaching.

What advice do you have for other kids learning and playing chess?
One thing I always tell my students is that they must always make a plan. You must always have an idea of what you want to do and how you are going to do it. Second, you must practice as much as you can. Even if you lose you can learn a lot of things and the experience of playing will help you a lot.

If I’m not a chess player, but I want to start learning-what would you recommend I do?
I would recommend that you would get an ICC account. It is the Internet chess club where you can play people from all over the world. Practicing is one of the keys to not only getting started but also to get better at chess.

You hold chess camps throughout the year for youth wanting to learn chess-what is your favorite thing about teaching others to play chess?
The enthusiasm that each kid brings with them to the chess camp is fun. We make our lessons so that not only will the kids learn something but they also will have fun. It shows on each of their faces and that is the thing that I enjoy most about teaching.

What chess software or learning tools would you recommend for kids your age?
Well there isn’t any specific software for kids my age. It more depends on your level in chess. If your starting out or even for those more advanced, I would recommend Chess Tactics for Beginners. Don’t be fooled by the name because these problems can get pretty advanced. The next one up is Chess Tactics for Intermediate Players. This is very hard chess software and one I think would take anyone a long time to do if they wanted to get a good score on it. There are several different software programs for just about every level of players.

Anything else you’d like to tell kid and adult chess players about yourself or the game of chess?
People think that chess is an easy game and doesn’t involve much. However, this isn’t true. There are so many things involved in chess that even experts are still trying to learn everything. Always practice because if you take a long break from chess you can actually get worse. It is just like anything else that you want to be good at, if you don’t practice you will not get better.

A note from the author: I’d like to thank Jeremy Troff for his willingness to interview with Wholesale Chess. I have been very impressed with both the Troff family’s kindness and Jeremy’s exciting accomplishments in chess – and I wish him all much luck in his future endeavors.

Tags: jeremy troff
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Blitz Chess Champion: Kayden Troff

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Kayden Troff: Blitz Chess Champion

If you’re from Utah and you follow chess at all, there’s no doubt you’ve already heard about Kayden Troff: the 10 year old chess champion.

If you’re not from Utah, or you’ve not yet heard about Kayden – here’s your chance. Throughout the first week of our Blitz Chess Celebration we will be filling you in on Kayden and his brother Jeremy’s successes, stories, and suggestions for other young chess players their age. Wholesale Chess is always excited to share the success stories of its long-time members and supporters… Stay tuned all week for more!

Today’s Part: Blitz Chess Champion: Kayden Troff
Part 2: An Interview with Jeremy Troff – Utah State High School Champ (coming Wednesday)
Part 3: An Interview with Kayden Troff – Utah G60 State Champ (coming Thursday)
Part 4: Playing Tips from the Chess Prodigies (coming Friday)

Kayden Troff’s Story

Before starting in on Kayden’s story, here’s just a few of his accomplishments:

2009 Utah State G60 Chess Champion
One of 8 youth in the US to attend the US Chess School
2009 Utah State Speed Chess Champion
Top 20 in the Nation for the 2008 Junior Grand Prix
2008 Junior Grand Prix Utah Champion
December 2008 – 2nd Place in the 5th Grade National K-12 tournament
2008 National All American Chess Team
February 4, 2006 – Won his first USCF rated tournament (first time tournament was ever won by a 2nd Grader)
March 2005 – Utah State Elementary First Grade Champion

Kayden’s long list of achievements gained a start at an early age when his father began teaching chess to the Troff boys when Kayden was only 3. Kayden picked up on the sport quickly, playing regularly with his family and at the local chess club’s meetings and tournaments. Even at age 5, Kayden was able compete with the local scholastic players and even adults at the club.

At age 6, Kayden, along with his brothers Jeremy and Zachary (11 and 8 at the time), had the opportunity to spend a full week of instruction with Grandmaster Igor Ivanov. According to Kayden’s father, “It turned out to be a great week! Igor had a thick Russian accent and he was hard for the boys to understand but with some translation and coaxing from dad the boys showed that they had some real skills.” Igor was impressed with Kayden’s chess strength at such a young age, and continued to meet on occasion with Kayden and the boys to offer further instruction and support, until he passed away a year and a half later.

The Troff Boys

In January of 2005, Kayden once again had the opportunity to train with a Grandmaster, this time with Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov. Kaidanov’s most memorable advice according to Kim Troff, Kayden’s mother, was that “we should always keep chess fun”.

As a 2nd grader, Kayden won his first United States Chess Federation tournament. The tournament had never been won by a 2nd grader before, and Kayden’s USCF rating jumped to 1222. Around this same time, Kayden and his brothers started teaching the Elk Ridge Middle School chess team (in Utah) once a week. At first, the middle school students balked at having “a little kid” teaching them, but after Kayden played them simultaneously on seven different boards and won them all, they stopped complaining.

At age 8, Kayden’s rating climbed above 1700, earning him a place on the 2008 All American Chess Team. Forty three players from age 8-18 were chosen out of 45,000 scholastic participants. Not long after his appointment to the All American Team, Kayden took first place in the “B” section for players with ratings under 1800 at the Utah Class Tournament.

Kayden & Trophies

That summer, the Troff boys along with another Wholesale Chess member family, started the TNT (Troff and Treiman) Chess Camp a premiere chess camp held in Utah. Students that attend the TNT Chess Camp include top scholastic chess players from the state of Utah along with many other chess beginners and enthusiasts. The camp is divided up to deal with many different skill levels and integrates great learning with a lot of fun!

Kayden started taking regular lessons over the internet and phone from Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov in January of 2008. Kaidanov helped Kayden specifically with his openings and taught him how to teach himself with chess software from Chessbase – Fritz in particular. This proved to be an invaluable lesson for Kayden and was a key in helping him make a significant jump in his rating.

At the 2008 Utah Open Kayden defeated the former 2007 Utah Open State Champion (knocking him out of the competition for the top prize). Although he lost his final game, he had made his mark on chess in Utah – a mark only to be reiterated again and again over the next year.

Kayden took 6th place at the National K-12 tournament in Orlando at the end of 2008 for quick game. As the story goes – Kayden missed first place by 1 second). Kayden also placed 2nd in the nation in regular competition for the 5th grade.

Kayden Receiving Utah G60 Title

More recently, Kayden competed in the 2009 Utah Speed Chess Championship. According to his blog, “Each game was 5 minutes with a 2 second delay per move. Kayden won both of his games against a Master rated player who was a prior champion of this event. Kayden played 14 games total against all of the top players and he only lost one game. He was awarded the 2009 Utah State Speed Champion title and was the youngest player ever to win a major Utah Championship event.”

“Kayden’s USCF Quick rating has recently risen to 2051 which is considered an Expert Level player at age 10. He has recently won two games against International Master Alex Lenderman who was the 2008 Grand Prix champion for all of America. Alex Lenderman had a Quick rating of 2490 and a regular rating of 2587 when Kayden won his game against him this past week. Alex Lenderman only has four losses in this regular weekly tournament since September and Kayden has two of the four wins.”

Kayden at Utah State G60 Competition

Only a few weeks ago, Kayden Troff, defeated 73-year-old Hans Morrow in the final game of the 2009 Utah Game/60 Chess Championship to take the victory and title as the Utah State Chess Champion for the second time this year.

Kayden now has the highest quick rating in the country for players under age 13. His rating peaked at 2123 on March 14th after winning the Utah G/60 Championship. Next highest is Nicholas Nip at 2102 who is recognized as the youngest player to ever make Master level.

A note from the author: I’d like to thank Kim Troff for her help in putting this article together, as well as the Troff boys for their willingness to interview for the upcoming articles. I have been very impressed with both the family’s kindness and Kayden’s exciting accomplishments in chess – and Wholesale Chess and myself wish them all much luck in their future endeavors.

Content sources: Interviews and correspondences with the Troff family as well as Kayden’s blogs: http://kaydensstory.blogspot.com/ and http://kaydentroff.blogspot.com/.

Images from: Deseret News and Kayden’s blogs as mentioned above.

Tags: kayden troff
Posted in Chess Club Corner, Chess Learning Center, News & Announcements | No Comments »