Correction: In a previous version of this article, Ken Frieden’s name was misspelled and departmental affiliation misstated. Ken Frieden is a professor of Judaic studies and literature. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

This past fall, a new freshman student walked up to the Syracuse University Chess Club table during the annual activities fair.

That student, Tae Kim, casually sat down and beat Ken Frieden, a professor of Judaic studies and literature and faculty adviser for the Chess Club, in a few games of chess.

“I was surprised by his success,” Frieden said. “He was very nonchalant about knocking me off the board. It was no big deal to him, not even trying.”

Kim, an undecided freshman interested in declaring a major in the School of Information Studies, has been playing chess since his middle school days at MS 118-Spectrum Academy in Bronx, N.Y. where he received top coaching.

In high school at the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics, Kim became involved in the Chess-in-the-Schools Program, which sends chess instructors to schools, classrooms and an afterschool program to foster interest in chess in underprivileged areas.

“Tae started out playing like all the other students, but he took to it really quickly,” said Sarah Pitari, vice president of programs of the Chess-in-The-Schools Program. “He has progressed into a highly ranked player.”

Originally, chess was not his main focus. In high school, Kim said he hoped to play basketball. But once he realized his ability and the large interest in chess among his group of friends, creating a chess team seemed like a better idea.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a bookish nerd,” Kim said. “I think we really broke those stereotypes.”

The Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics Chess Team won the 12th grade prize at the U.S. Chess Federation’s National Championship Tournament in 2012.

“When we came back from winning that title, it was still something the school took pride in,” he said. “It wasn’t something anyone considered to be geeky or uncool.”

Pitari said chess allows players to notice their mistakes firsthand, which teaches patience.

This patient mental aspect of chess was initially an obstacle. Kim said he used to get emotional during chess matches, taking every mistake and loss to heart.

“I hated losing, I would get very upset every time I lost,” he said. “But I have been playing for five to six years now, and with that time I’ve become more mature. You can’t win every game.”

However, Kim has been proving recently that he can win. He competed along with other members of the SU Chess Club at a chess tournament, the Marchand Open, in Rochester on March 8and 9.

This was Kim’s first chess tournament as a college competitor, and he finished in first place for the expert category, Frieden said.

Kim beat several chess masters and a grandmaster, the highest level a chess player can achieve. Chess players are ranked — with grandmasters and masters being classified by scores of 2600 and 2200 respectively, Frieden said.

Going into the tournament, Kim’s score was around 2100, far below the ranking of the grandmaster he defeated, Frieden said.

“I knew I would play grandmasters at the tournament, so I looked at their previous games to identify their style, how they open their games,” said Kim, who was prepared for the game to last more than three hours. “There were a lot of people gathering around to watch, I felt like he had more pressure on him to win as a grandmaster than I did.”

Kim said he hopes to raise his ranking to 2200 to reach the level of chess master.

Frieden said he is committed to helping foster Kim’s talent and the SU Chess Club as a whole. One of his biggest regrets from college is his decision to stop playing chess competitively.

“It was a terrible mistake because chess educates people,” he said. “I am committed to helping people like Tae continue their chess careers in college.”

Frieden said he has high hopes for Kim as a player on the SU Chess Club and is optimistic about chess becoming more popular on campus.

“We haven’t had a player like him in years. He could go really far,” he said. “If Jim Boeheim can do it for basketball, can I do it for SU Chess?”

Kim said he wants to continue competing and build up the SU Chess Club. Kim said he wants to prevent the chess team at SU from ever fizzling out.

“When I graduate in three years, I want SU Chess to be a big deal,” he said. “I have the chance to leave that legacy behind.”

Published on March 27, 2014 at 12:27 am

Contact Jen: jbundy@syr.edu