Justin Friedlander (Photo Courtesy of Robert Friedlander)Eight-year-old Justin Friedlander enjoys playing football, eating ice cream and crushing German kids in international chess tournaments.
The third grader, who is learning two years above his grade level at his Scottsdale elementary school, is ranked 26th in the world for the under-8 section after competing in the World Youth Chess Championship in South Africa, and he even plays in tournaments with the ASU Chess Team.
Justin began learning chess at 4, when his older brother, Benjamin, came home with an advertisement for a chess club.
“He brought home a flyer, and I had to follow him,” he said.
Benjamin and Justin started to study chess and take lessons, and Benjamin said learning the game becomes more difficult the further one advances.
“It seemed to get easier and then we started moving up to the intermediate stuff,” the 10-year-old said.
Justin admitted that learning chess was extremely difficult at first.
““It (was) like, 'Oh my god, I’ll never be able to play,'” he said.
The Friedlander family has traveled all over the country, and now world, competing in chess tournaments. At one point, Justin was ranked second in the U.S.
“When I win, I get ice cream,” he said with a smile.
Justin and his brother are often invited to play in tournaments with the ASU Chess Team. Political science sophomore Charvic German, the team's president, said the pair’s competitive spirit and talent makes them ideal players for tournaments with the team, though he said he does not recall if he has played with Justin individually.
“I have played kids around his age, but from what I've seen, he is well-mannered, which is always important, as well as a strong player, which is also a good thing,” he said in an email. “I assume he would be a good individual to play with regardless of his age.”
The ASU Chess Team competes with other universities and holds tournaments for players of various backgrounds, German said.
“Overall, I believe kids around his age are increasing in strength and should not be taken lightly,” he said.
Justin had to reach a peak of 1,600 rating points to qualify for the World Youth Chess Championship, a feat he did not reach the year before. These ratings determine a player's skill based on his or her performances against other players, Justin’s dad Robert Friedlander said.
Justin Friedlander preps for his chess games with GM Finegold for Round 7. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Friedlander)The tournament was one of the few instances where Justin played with kids of his own age and size, as he mostly plays with people older than him, with some opponents in their 80s, Friedlander said.
Justin earned six out of a possible 11 points in the tournament. In chess, players receive a point for each win and a half-point for each draw. Earning more than half of their possible points is a positive score, a reasonable goal for chess tournaments.
Justin played against opponents from India, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and other countries. He was ahead in most of his games, but because of mistakes and blunders, he lost and tied some games.
“I still think I could’ve done a lot better,” he said after the tournament.
Holding an international ranking is not a big deal to Justin, as he shrugged and said “eh” when asked if he was excited about the ranking.
“It’s not like I’m the best person in the world, because I’m internationally ranked,” he said.
However, Justin did point out he was now ranked higher than his brother.
“Now I have a larger ranking than Benjamin does,” he said while giggling.
To qualify for next year’s world championships, Justin must go up about 200 rating points for a peak rating of 1,900. This number is not impossible to reach, but Justin must work hard if he wants to end up in Greece, which is where the tournament will be held in 2015.
“It’s not easy to qualify,” Friedlander said.
Chess is not Justin’s only hobby. He and his brother have played basketball, soccer, football and hockey and even attended film camp.
“I like it better that I can do other things,” he said. “One, I’d be too chessed out ‘cause it’s like chess every day, every night. And two, I get to do other things. I can get in shape ‘cause I do sports.”
Justin Friedlander vs. Nikhil Magizhan of India Round 10. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Friedlander)The family travels out of town every two to three months, Friedlander said. There are four state tournaments and two national tournaments every year in addition to local tournaments.
“There are three to four tournaments they could do each week,” he said.
Friedlander said he tries to teach the kids respect and courtesy, and handshakes before and after the game are commonplace.
“We’re huge on sportsmanship,” he said. “I’m always teaching these kids to be respectful. Unfortunately, Justin was so respectful, he lost a game because of it.”
Justin lost this game because he allowed his opponent extra time to complete his move because of a clock malfunction. The additional time gave his opponent an advantage that allowed him to win the game. Players who run out of time are supposed to automatically lose the game.
The brothers each have stories of playing opponents who tried to cheat or throw a fit, but Friedlander said this type of behavior is forbidden for his kids.
“If I ever hear of them being a poor sport, there’s not going to be much of a tomorrow for them,” he said.
Justin is somewhat of a local celebrity in youth chess. Kids often come up to him at the Chess Emporium in Phoenix and ask to play a game.
“It’s kind of fun for me, as a father, to watch,” Friedlander said. “It just says a lot about kids and the capabilities of kids.”
Justin has yet to figure out what he wants as a future career. He said he switches ideas constantly, but knows he wants to stay away from something dangerous.
“Sometimes I said football. Sometimes I said a grandmaster. Sometimes I said soccer,” he said. “What I know for sure is I’m not going to be a car racer. I’m not going to be a fireman. That’s what I know for sure.”
However, one thing Justin does know for sure is that he wants to play chess for a long time.
“It’s one of the only things you can carry with you your whole life,” he said.
Reach the reporter at savannah.harrelson@asu.edu and follow her on Twitter @savannahleeh
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