A 5-year-old chess prodigy from Texas is gearing up for the national championships. Despite the fact that he’s still in kindergarten, he already wants a match with the best chess player in the world.
“It’s your move,” said the 5-year-old.
It’s a game of mental stamina, and Ryan Mecham doesn’t mind admitting he’s good at it.
“It’s super easy. I don’t even have to have a strategy,” he told FOX news.
He just recently brought home a trophy as big as him.
“I walked out with it feeling really proud. I won every match at State. I won first place,” he said.
Having won the Texas Kindergarten championships, his sights are now set on nationals in Florida in two weeks.
His mother, Mary Mecham, said it all started less than a year ago when he saw someone else playing chess and asked how it worked.
“We took him to the local library’s chess club, and in a couple weeks he was beating almost everyone there,” his mother said.
“I was playing kids I’ve already played and won exactly every match,” Ryan said.
Just for fun, he also competed against grown-ups.
“At my dad’s work I beat ’em all,” he said.
His sights are now set high as he continues to work on improving his skills.
“So I can beat Magnus, the world champion of chess,” he added.
The Nottingham Country Elementary student is making his principal proud.
“I can say I knew him when, I knew him when he was 5 years old,” Tracy Stroud, principal of Nottingham Country Elementary, said.
“I just thought it would be a phase he’d go through like dinosaurs, and he’s stuck with chess,” Mary said.
Just how long does Ryan plan to stick with chess?
“About as long as I live,” he responded.