Chess Kid

Michael Kavchak enjoyed playing games. One day his father decided to teach him how to play chess. Michael liked the game. They played it every day. It did not take long before Michael started challenging his dad at the chessboard. Michael’s father took him to observe a few scholastic chess tournaments to see if he would be interested in participating. The tournaments were run by the Chess’N Math Association, Canada’s national scholastic chess organization. Eventually, Michael expressed a desire to participate and compete. After competing in a few tournaments Michael demonstrated that he had the potential to win a provincial chess championship in the future. Michael and his father decided to set the winning of the provincial championship as the goal. Michael had one year to prepare for it. They developed a plan of study and practice to maximize Michael’s chances of victory. This story is about one family’s discovery of the joy of chess and the quest for the provincial championship. Andrew Kavchak studied political science (M.A., Carleton University) and law (LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School). He is a mediocre chess player.