Carlos Crossman

I was born in the small town of Salem, Oregon. Since I was a child, I loved playing and watching all kinds of sports, enjoyed helping my parents with my younger and older siblings, and I looked forward to attending school every year. I think my story is a unique one, quite different from the typical one you might hear where the person was taught the art of chess by their parents, grandparents or friends.

When my brother was nine years old, he was actively involved in soccer; he played for the Oregon National Team. When my family and I went one day to support him during the Western Division State Championship held in Seattle, there was also a major chess tournament taking place in the same building. Famous grandmasters gathered from around the world and I was able to pick up on the concepts of chess from the sign-boards. I instantaneously became incredibly interested in chess. Arriving home, I immediately wanted to know more about this amazing game; I wanted to become immersed in it. Imagine how strange it was that no one in my family played chess, then I suddenly, basically out of thin air, not knowing the rules or anything about it, started going to chess club on a regular basis. The children's groups in the club were usually recruited from four to six years old, and I was almost nine at the time! I made a promise to my superiors that in the upcoming year I would catch up with and be able to compete with the others who had been studying for many years.

By the way, believe it or not, it happened! After only ten months I outstripped most of the group and I took 2nd place in my first tournament. Trainers immediately paid attention to me and began to work with me individually. By the age of 11, I had become a candidate for Master of Chess, winning the Portland U18 Championship. I also later divided the first and the second and third places in a tournament in Sacramento, where I earned my first International Master of Sports in Chess Norm. At fifteen and a half, I was able to confirm the title of International Sports Mate!

I hope I can assist you on your way as you learn this this incredible game. On this chess journey, you will will meet a lot of new and interesting challenges and triumphs! Let’s get started together.