Remarkable Trio of Young, African-American Chess Masters

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/crosswords/chess/chess-three-young-african-americans-earn-recognition-as-masters.html?_r=1&hp

by OstiaAntica • 15 years ago

68 23 15 years ago

nytimes.com

drstrangevibes3• 15 years ago

this is really encouraging. The image of African people usually vastly misrepresents their true potential. Great to see some positive news that casts some true light on the immense talents of these gifted people.

sunahsuh3• 15 years ago

...you write this like you don't expect any black people to be reading your comment. I'm offended by reading this, so I can't imagine how black readers of HN that come across this feel.

Also, they're African-American. And no, that's not nitpicking or trying to be PC; it's an important distinction.

brador3• 15 years ago

Why not just call them what they are: American.

Let's remove all stereotypes, not just the ones you don't like eh.

drstrangevibes3• 15 years ago

African American ⊂ African

ytadesse• 15 years ago

No, I disagree - and I'm black. He's right. The image portrayed of blacks (by everyone - including many blacks that have "made it") is that we are artsy folks who "do" music and play sports. As a result, people often don't intuitively consider blacks when they think of professions and otherwise intellectual activities.

In fact, the only reason most people are going to even click on this link is because they are amazed to see "3 black guys playing chess" ... whoaaa! The simple fact that people are surprised and curious to see "how they got interested in chess" is proof enough that "The image of African people usually vastly misrepresents their true potential".

dmarquis• 15 years ago

You are saying the author should write differently depending on whether black people are reading the comment. Is that really what you meant?

maxklein2• 15 years ago

The underlying theme behind the article and your comment is that black people are assumed not to be as bright as other people.

drstrangevibes3• 15 years ago

no, that they are often portrayed that way, hence the word 'misrepresent'

flocial• 15 years ago

It's a shame the article doesn't mention how they got interested in chess

hackinthebochs• 15 years ago

Indeed, there are many interesting aspects to this that should have been discussed. How did they get so good? How long have they known each other? Has their skill grown in unison? What type of environment led to this statistical oddity of 3 Black kids from the same area to become such strong players?

maxklein2• 15 years ago

I'm not surprised. I remember playing chess in Africa years ago and was amazed at the speed that some people picked up the game and dominated everyone else, including me, who at the time already had many years of chess experience. I believe chess is something that, if your mind is wired the right way, you can become really good at. But those people who were so good at the game back them - well, they still play, but they don't compete because, well there are no real tournaments, and the prize money is tiny compared to what other pursuits would bring.

There is a lot of ability to play chess with many people all over the world, irrespective of ethnicity, but there are just situations where people are born into, where being focused on such a niche sport means you cannot be successful in general.

It's the same problem that mathematicians face. When society is developed and most things already exist, some people will choose such narrow activities, but when it's a dog eat dog world, there is no time for that.

feralchimp• 15 years ago

My three hopes for these kids are:

a) they manage not to become insufferable d-bags by the time they get to university

b) their parents don't drive them completely insane

c) they still love chess when they're 30

I can only assume it's stressful to be a prodigy in anything, and I could imaging the chess scene being particularly pressure-rich.

steve_b• 15 years ago

I misread your comment. I thought you said "my three hopes for my kids...". I thought: that sounds like a good strategy for any parents to have.

Remarkable Trio of Young, African-American Chess Masters

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