STAR OF THE MONTH

Kadhir Pillai
2006-Sep-20
Kadhir is entering the 1st grade student in P.S. 116, and learned how to play chess in September 2005. He joined the Thursday afterschool chess class in his school with NYChessKids instructor Gregory Cesar, and quickly showed himself to be a star in the making. He had no trouble picking up the basics of the game: how to move the chess pieces, check and checkmate, the idea of the opening…

Last year’s Veterans Day P.S. 116 Tournament was his debut event. That day, he participated in the No Score section, as many kindergarten students also did from around the city. He clearly enjoyed his experience and his interest in the game increased.

Kadhir played his first rated tournament at P.S. 6 in the K-1 section in January, scoring 2.5 out of 4. A week later, he played in his first “major” tournament, the Greater NY Scholastics, where he finished with 3.5 out of 5, again in the K-1 section. These were both excellent results, as 1st graders traditionally dominate K-1 sections of scholastic tournaments: at such a young age, the extra year most often makes a huge difference.

He then played at P.S. 9, finishing with 3 out of 4 in the K-1 section, tying for 2nd-6th Place. Kadhir then played in the Primary (K-3!) section of the P.S. 116 Tournament on February 26, almost unheard-of for a kindergarten student. Here, for the first time, he had to both write down the moves and use a clock during his games. Keep in mind that even the Nationals do not require kindergarten students to do this. Kadhir only won 1 game out of 4, as he needed to make this adjustment.

Undaunted by this setback, Kadhir went to the New York State Championships in New Rochelle in March, and finished with 5 out of 6 in the K-1 Championship, this tied him for 3rd-11th Place (4th on tiebreaks), but clearly first among kindergarten students in the state.

At the strong April Hunter Tournament, Kadhir scored 3 out of 4 in the Primary section, only losing to the eventual tournament winner in Round 2. Finally, at the April P.S. 116 Tournament, Kadhir again played in the Primary section, again finishing with 3 out of 4, good enough to tie for 4th Place—he apparently got used to having to keep score and hit the clock! At the National Elementary Championships in May, he put in a strong performance with 5 out of 7, before finishing the school year with an appearance in the Reserve (!) section of the June P.S. 116 Tournament, scoring 2 out of 4.
Kadhir’s October 2006 rating will be 966, making him second in the United States among five year olds! He is very quiet, extremely well-behaved, and very respectful to all. But it is clear that he takes everything in that his teachers try to convey. From beginning the year in the Kindergarten chess class, Kadhir spent a few weeks in my Intermediate Class, and is now in the Advanced Class where many of his classmates are in 4th and 5th grade. Kadhir worked hard and attended chess camp all summer, and if he continues to do this, the sky is the limit for what he can achieve in our royal game. We have seen others who showed similar promise at such an age, and know what is possible if they desire it…

Good luck, Kadhir on your continued successes in chess