Sophomore chess champion shares expertise

Photo by Vivien Zhang

Elite chess players are not like everyone else.

Instead of relying solely on the logic-heavy left brain the way amateurs tend to do, they make their best moves by using both sides of their brains, combining analytical and visual aspects to form the most logical decision.

It’s an ability only a few players at the highest level possess.

One of those people is sophomore Tanuj Vasudeva, who at age 7 claimed the title of national champion for his the K-1 group.

Vasudeva has brought also home medals from numerous competitions, including a gold medal in both North and South America at age 8, a silver medal at the World Youth Championship chess tournament in Turkey in the same year and a bronze medal in the Under-8 Section of North America at age 6.

In his preparation for world-class tournaments, Vasudeva often spent five to six hours looking through potential opponents’ games. Then he would train with “tactics,” complex exercises that comprise a large portion of tournament training.

“Tactics are a very important part of chess and a bit difficult to explain,” Vasudeva said. “It is similar to football, in which there are many different plays and patterns that can be observed.”

While football plays are carried out on the field and require a strong physical build, in chess, factors like age and size do not matter — an aspect of the game that Vasudeva has taken advantage of.

“Being a small guy, I've always felt quite a feeling of superiority over the board, something that I don't usually feel,” Vasudeva said.

Vasudeva started playing the board game out of interest right before he turned 5, with no intentions of taking it so far.

“I started chess as I did with anything that intrigued me, and I treated it as a game,” Vasudeva said. “Later, I discovered that this game was more than just amusing, and I wanted to play against more people and start winning.”

Vasudeva credits his father, Tarun Vasudeva, for most of his success, citing the tremendous amount of time his father has sacrificed to help him practice and take him to tournaments.

“He was the lighter for this spark that caused the most memorable moments in my life,” Vasudeva said.

Since his win at the national championships in 2008, Vasudeva has received global attention for his achievements. He got his first taste of stardom when he found an article about himself on renowned chess player and world-class coach Michael Aigner’s blog.

“I had met him before, but I had no idea that it was newsworthy at the time,” Vasudeva said. “Soon, [other articles] began to pop up, and it was a healthy motivator for me to continue and pursue my dream.”

Later in 2009, Vasudeva was featured by NBC, and one of his interviews aired on CBS 6 o’clock Eyewitness news.

Because of Vasudeva’s success in the game, many have labeled him as a “prodigy” along the way; however, Vasudeva thinks the term “undermines the immense amount of hard work gone into tournaments and preparation.”

Traveling the world as a chess champion, Vasudeva has not only developed analytical thinking and problem solving skills, but has also met others who share his passion for the game.

“Chess has affected my social life in huge ways, as I have been introduced to so many amazing people and have made many new connections through competitions worldwide,” he said.

Nowadays, although he does not attend large-scale tournaments as frequently because of other time commitments, Vasudeva still stays active, whether it be through playing games at Santana Row or meeting up with his chess friends.

Because chess has had such an impact on his life, Vasudeva wants to share his expertise with younger players. In hopes that they will develop the same passion that he has for the game, this summer he hosted lessons for elementary and middle school students at his house.

“I can relive the experience by teaching these kids,” Vasudeva said. “What you finally learn when you teach for the first time is that it’s a beautiful thing to see the next generation growing.”

When he was younger, Vasudeva had always aimed to overtake his coach, Ted Castro, at the time, a goal he later accomplished in 2012. Now a coach himself, he hopes that his own students can experience the success and joy in a game that has meant so much to him.