 A lot of hard work, belief in oneself, and support from parents and teachers!
Kadhir with Mom and Dad receiving the National K-1 Champion trophy from USCF Executive Director Bill Hall
On Sunday, May 13, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee PS 116 first grader Kadhir Pillai won his last two games in the 2007 National K-1 Championship to finish the three-day marathon with a perfect 7-0 score. He was the only player to do so, thus becoming the 2007 National K-1 Champion! Kadhir beat out 262 other players, some higher rated than he, who were also in search of the immortality that comes with becoming a National Champion.
The mental toughness needed to win such an event is considerable, to say nothing about the intense chess training required. This is because even though the top players will be favored in most of their games, that creates great expectations and for many students those expectations are too much to handle. And the students in the K-1 Championship are still very young! By taking the arduous tournament one game and one day at a time, Kadhir was able to prevail in the end.
All chess teachers who knew Kadhir realized that he was capable of accomplishing this feat, but to actually do it is another thing entirely! Last year, in kindergarten, Kadhir went from the Kindergarten afterschool chess class at PS 116, to the Intermediate Class, to the Advanced Class by the middle of the year! He also began his kindergarten year in the No Score (absolute beginner) section of the PS 116 tournaments, and by the end of that year was playing in the Reserve section (the second-highest section, at that time). These accomplishments were unprecedented by any student that had ever been a part of the PS 116 chess program.
Kadhir with the Champion's trophy. Note that the trophy is taller than he is! |
Kadhir with his best friend William Graif, who finished in second place with 6.5 out of 7.
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When Kadhir began his first grade year this past fall, all that remained was to continue on the path he was on. He played in some of the strongest sections of scholastic tournaments in New York City and continued to work harder than anyone else in the chess classes, in chess camps, and especially at home. Since he started chess, Kadhir has been every teacher's favorite student because his behavior and, especially, his attention-span are impeccable. This is an enormous advantage when it comes to competing on the biggest stage.
Kadhir's biggest supporters are, of course, his mom and dad. They have always believed in him, and always supported his chess endeavors by bringing him to tournaments, and enrolling him in chess classes and camps. Kadhir's dad is one of the driving forces behind the entire chess program at PS 116.
We expect Kadhir to continue training hard, and with two Nationals every year through 12th grade and college, who knows how many National titles he might win?
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