A king, a queen, knights, rooks, bishops and pawns. The 9th annual Chess-in-the-Parks Rapid Open attracted more than 500 chess enthusiasts at New York’s Central Park on Saturday.

Among them, 12-year-old chess master, Harrison Smart.

[Winfield Smart, Harrison’s Dad]:
“He just started seventh grade and I taught him how to play in the very early grades. However with coaching and other experienced players he was quickly able to surpass my abilities.”

To get to Harrison’s level requires dedication.

[Winfield Smart, Harrison’s Dad]:
“He devotes hours a week to chess. Whether it’s playing on ICC on the internet, or coming to a tournament like this. Or occasionally studying new openings and things like that. So I would say it is a big part of your life when you devote more than a couple of hours a week to it.”

But Harrison’s family feels it’s worth the effort.

[Winfield Smart, Harrison’s Dad]:
“It’s still a great extracurricular activity that teaches children planning, you know, to think about their moves before they make them, there’s repercussions. So there’s a lot of things in life that benefit from playing chess as well.”

So it goes to show you, if you have the heart and the determination to succeed, age is no barrier to developing a truly strategic mind.

Catherine Fang, NTD, New York.