Making all the right moves
Peace Arch News
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By Tracy Holmes
Staff Reporter
Feb 20 2007
If
you’ve ever sat down for a game of chess, you know there’s more to
it than shuffling a pawn here or jumping a knight there.
It’s
a game that requires strategy, the skill to think three or more moves ahead,
and the ability to read your opponent.
Now,
imagine applying those skills to 17 games at once. Sound challenging? Maybe for
some, but one
“It’s
kind of easy,” Jacob Jensen said.
“All
you have to do is think what the best move would be.”
Jacob,
in Grade 3 at Laronde Elementary, demonstrated his prowess at a chess clinic at
Demian
has been coaching Jacob in chess for the past couple months, ever since the boy
surpassed his dad, Ken’s, ability to train him.
He
started playing just two years ago, and quickly made his mark. He’s won
multiple tournaments, finished second in his age group at last year’s
national championship, and was invited to play on the Canadian national team in
last fall’s world chess championships.
He’s
currently in first place among under-1,500-rated players in a grand prix
tournament hosted by
Last
June, he was among 32 of B.C.’s best chess players invited to take on
Canadian champion Pascal Charbonneau in a simultaneous match.
Jacob,
the youngest player there, was the last man standing.
At
the Feb. 10 event, Jacob faced off against players up to 16 years old. He
defeated some in as few as four moves. In a tournament the next day, he took
the Grade 3 title.
“I’m
just proud as punch of this little guy,” Ken Jensen said.
“I
just sit back in amazement sometimes and wonder what’s in store
next.”
Odds
are, it’s another shot at a national title, at the Chess’n Math
2007 Canadian Chess Challenge in
Jacob’s
set his goals even higher.
“I
want to have a chance to go in the (world’s) this year,” he said.