Staring down the table, glancing into an opponent’s eyes, the chess player looks to get into the opponent’s head. He slaps the chess clock after making his move by putting the queen right next to his opponent’s king. Checkmate. This is just a typical weekend for sophomore chess player Kevin Cao.
Cao has focused on playing chess for more than a decade. His first major chess outlet was at the chess club that met before school once a week at Shenandoah Valley.
“I have been playing chess since kindergarten, which was about 11 years ago,” Cao said.
At the chess club, he worked on his game with his older brother Henry who helped different strategies and tactics. Through his elementary school playing career, Kevin or his brother won the annual chess tournament at the school.
Going into middle school, Cao joined the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis where he got to play more chess and compete with competition at a high skill level.
“Right now, for my age in Missouri I am ranked first and for my age in the nation, I am ranked 10th,” Cao said. “Throughout my career I have won a few state and national championships and was part of the All-American Chess Team.”
Although committing to something long-term may be tough, Cao has found other activities that he enjoys.
He plays soccer in the fall for the school team and starts on the junior varsity basketball team in the winter.
“Chess is more of a calm game that requires silence,” Cao said. “ Basketball is a very fast-paced game, so I can’t really compare the them because I like them both.”
While fully committed to sports and chess, Cao still continues to strive for success in the classroom. He maintains a high GPA and is in an honors chemistry class that is made up of mostly juniors.
Cao looks to start the 2013 chess season strong and has one goal in mind.
“Just continue winning,” Cao said.
