Next Tuesday, January 25, world under-18 champion Steven Zierk is coming to speak at the Aptos Library Chess Club! I am hoping that he will play a simultaneous exhibition and then speak about his experiences at the world championships in Greece last fall.
This will be a truly unique, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet a kid who grew up in this area and conquered the world.
I first met Steven three years ago and I would never have guessed that I was meeting a future world champion. He is talented, sure, but to become a world champion you also need dedication, persistence and courage — qualities that you can’t always see on the surface. If you value those qualities and would like to see your child develop them, Steven would be a great model. He is also a very level-headed and well-rounded guy, who I think is not going to let this success go to his head.
Steven’s lecture is open to the public. Please be warned, though, that opportunities to play in the simul (if there is one) will be strictly limited to children under 17, and that children who have previously come to the Aptos Library or Santa Cruz Library chess clubs will get first preference. We’ll start promptly at 3:30.
There’s one other thing I have to say to avoid embarrassment — I haven’t gotten a firm commitment from Steven that he will play a simul. I’ve mentioned the idea several times to him, but I also said that he should feel free to do whatever he wants. So in typical Santa Cruz style, we’ll just see what happens.
For those of you who are just a little bit too far away to come … say, New York or France or Russia … I’ll post pictures and an account next week. Stay tuned!
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