Joshua Altman – Taking on the World!

Joshua Altman has been playing chess since the age of 6, and has had an astounding trajectory - the sky really is the limit! Now just 7 years old, Joshua is ranked Top 3 in the UK Under 8s and will represent England in the World Schools Individual Championships in Iasi, Romania this Spring.

Joshua has a tremendous appetite for chess, both for the competitive side as well as training and study. He is very disciplined, reading chess books and working on all aspects of his game. Joshua has an avid playing career, competing at his school, at the Wallace Chess Camps and Rookies, and at Barnet Knights. He frequently plays against much older juniors and adults. Joshua will play more than 200 professionally rated tournament games throughout England and abroad this year.

Joshua prefers long-play games of up to 3 hours or more, which challenge him to consider all possible strategies and make his best move after steady deliberation. Joshua’s rapid rise to success is in part due to his confidence and hunger to take on ever stronger players. Considering he has not yet turned 8, Joshua is well on his way to becoming a Grandmaster!

Joshua debuted recently in a TV cameo alongside World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen in “Mozart of Chess,” a CBS 60 Minutes feature http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57380894/mozart-of-chess-magnus-carlsen/. Joshua often reports his events live on Twitter, @kid_chess.

Among Joshua’s junior wins and titles this season are:

• English Junior Rapidplay U8 Champion (December 2011, London Chess Classic)
• 2012 Barnet Schools Chess Association (BSCA) Individual Chess Championships, U8 and U9 Champion (January 2012)
• Surrey Hundreds Under 10 Champion (November 2011)
• Middlesex Hundreds Under 10 Champion (October 2011)
• London Rapidplay Under 10 Champion (October 2011)
• 43rd Barnet Knights Tournament Under 8 Boys Champion (September 2011).

We will leave the reader with one of Joshua’s crisp attacking victories from the London Junior Chess Championships (December 2011) which was published in the Telegraph with comments by columnist International Master Malcolm Pein.