INTERNATIONAL MASTER JOSH WAITZKIN
8-time National Chess Champion
13-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands National Champion
Two-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands World Champion
Update: Josh's book, The Art of Learning, is available now!
Josh Waitzkin first caught a glimpse of a chess set while 6 years old and walking with his mother in New York City's Washington Square Park. He was going to play on the monkey bars, and instead he fell in love with the art that would dominate much of his young life. Josh's first teachers were down and out hustlers--street virtuosos who took Josh under their wings and cleaned up their acts when their protégé came to play. The park guys taught Josh their aggressive, intuitive style of competition, which would remain his trademark for years to come. At age 7, Josh began his classical study of the game with his first formal teacher, Bruce Pandolfini.
From age 9 on Josh dominated the US scholastic chess scene. He won the National Primary Championship in 1986, the National Junior High Championship in 1988 while in the fifth grade, and the National Elementary Championship in 1989. At the age of eleven, he drew a game with World Champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition. At age 13, Josh earned the title of National Master. He won the National Junior High Championship for the second time in 1990, and the Senior High Championship in 1991, as well as the U.S. Cadet Championship (under-sixteen). Between the 3rd and 9th grades, Josh also led New York City's Dalton School to win 6 National team championships.
In 1993 Paramount Pictures released the film Searching for Bobby Fischer, based on the highly acclaimed book of the same title written by Fred Waitzkin, documenting Josh's journey to winning his first National Championship. That same year, at 16, Josh became an International Master and the U.S. Junior (Under-21) Co-Champion. In 1994 he won the U.S. Junior Championship and placed fourth in the Under-18 World Championship.
In addition to his intense chess life, Josh is also a gifted athlete deeply involved in the study of the martial arts Tai Chi Chuan and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Josh began studying Tai Chi Chuan with Grandmaster William CC Chen in the fall of 1998. He was drawn into the art by his love for eastern philosophy and by the desire to begin a learning process anew, as a total beginner, away from the spotlight that constantly followed his chess career. In William CC Chen, Josh found the teacher that he had always searched for, "A great master with the humility and generosity that true ‘Quality’ is all about."
Initially Josh had no intention of competing in the martial arts, but there was no stopping the inevitable. For five years straight Josh was the Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands Middleweight National Champion in both the Restricted Step and Moving Step divisions. In December of 2002, Josh won the Bronze Medal in the Push Hands World Championship in Taiwan. In early November of 2003, Josh won the Gold Medal in the Push Hands division of the World Kuoshu Championships in San Paolo, Brazil. In July of 2004, Josh competed in multiple weight divisions at the National Championships in Orlando, Florida. He won an unprecedented total of 5 National Championship titles in the Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions. Josh’s competitive Tai Chi life came to a dramatic climax at the 7th Chung Hwa Cup International Tai Chi Chuan Championships in Taiwan December 4-5 of 2004, where Josh worked through a brutal field and won the Middleweight World Championship title in Fixed Step Push Hands and became the Middleweight World Co-Champion in Moving Step Push Hands.
In addition to Josh’s intense competitive life, he is a renowned writer and teacher in the fields of learning and performance psychology. In 1993 When Josh was 18, Simon and Schuster published Josh’s first book, "Attacking Chess." Now a staple in any chess player or fan's library, Josh's youthful book combines autobiographical anecdotes with the strategies that propelled him to the top of the scholastic chess world. In 1997 Josh released the instructional video "Chess Starts Here," in which Josh and Bruce Pandolfini teach the moves, rules, and essential principles of chess in a series of compelling lessons. The video (recently released as a DVD) received excellent reviews and won awards at the Houston Worldfest, The Communicator and NY Festivals, as well as the award for Best Instructional Video from Videographer Magazine. It remains the leading instructional video in chess today.
Since 1997, Josh has been the spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world, having sold over 6 million copies. Dedicated to teaching through every medium possible, Josh started working with Chessmaster with the goal of creating a chess program that conveyed the "human, artistic, and passionate side of the game." Josh's annotated games and instructional courses combine keen insight into the nature of competition with a uniquely holistic chess philosophy to make the learning experience rewarding on many levels. On Oct 30, 2007 UBI Softreleased Chessmaster The Art of Learning for Nintendo DS and Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition for PC, featuring the “Josh Waitzkin Academy,” an interactive voice-driven instructional environment that comprehensively guides beginners and advanced players to deeper chess understanding. In these new versions of the program, Josh teaches principles from his book The Art of Learning over the chess board, putting users in his shoes in some of the most riveting and formative moments of his chess career, including the legendary climactic game from the book and film Searching for Bobby Fischer. Josh then turns to the classics, introducing beginners to brilliant games from some of the most important players in the history of chess.
Josh's love for children and his deep belief in the positive effect of chess study on young minds led him to become the foremost ambassador for chess in America. In his hometown of New York City, Josh successfully coached the children of P.S. 116 to win the New York City Championship, the New York State Championship and second place in the National Scholastic Championship. Since he was a teenager, Josh has traveled to chess communities around the country, speaking in schools and inspiring kids to follow their dreams. In 1997, while giving a book signing at The Super Nationals, Josh met and became friends with Jonathan Wade, a young chess player with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Later that year, at the age of 21, Josh became a spokesperson for the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Josh travels annually to Memphis, Tennessee, where he visits his friend Jonathan and lends his time, emotion, chess skills, and name to this wonderful cause. For his efforts the Mayor of Memphis has twice awarded Josh the key to the city.
Josh's combined 21 National Championship titles and two World Championship titles as well as his rich intellectual life, dedication to causes greater than himself, and charismatic presence in interviews and on screen, have kept him in constant demand. Over the past several years, Josh has appeared in all media venues from MTV, ESPN, and Today to People, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, The New York Times, Inside Kung Fu, and Kung Fu & Tai Chi Magazine. Josh recently completed his much-anticipated second book, The Art of Learning, released by Simon and Schuster's Free Press on May 8, 2007. The book is an autobiographical discussion of the learning process and performance psychology, drawing from Josh's experiences in both chess and the martial arts. On October 10, 2007 The Art of Learning was published by Rije press in Korea, and the book is slated for publication in the next year in China, Taiwan, France, Spain, and throughout South America. As much as his schedule allows, Josh travels the world giving seminars and keynote presentations on the learning process, performance state, and the psychology of competition.
Most recently, Josh has founded an educational nonprofit. The JW Foundation is dedicated to helping teachers, parents, and educational institutions nurture the unique potential of children and young adults. The Foundation works to help students discover a creative, resilient passion for learning while embracing and overcoming life's inevitable challenges.
Links
To visit the JW Foundation please visit: www.jwfoundation.com
To find out more about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and how you can help, please visit http://www.musculardystrophyassociation.com/
To find out more about Tai Chi Chuan, visit www.williamccchen.com.
For a complete list of Josh's martial arts wins, click here.
