Pieter developed a love of the game early in his Calvert School education. When he was four years old, Pieter asked his father, Kees, to teach him to play checkers. Kees instead taught him chess, and by age five, Pieter was regularly beating his parents at the game. His parents bought a simple chess program for the computer and some books, and in typical Calvert student fashion, Pieter started to study and play chess fervently.

 

In Sixth Age, Pieter began taking lessons with a local public school teacher and chess coach, William Morrison. William was a fixture in the local chess scene where he was known as William “the Exterminator” Morrison. One of his strengths was and is that he really cultivates a love for chess in his students, which he did with Pieter.

 

Pieter made steady progress in his playing, winning elementary school state championships and other big local tournaments. In 2012, he was invited to become part of the American Youth team that would play the World Youth Open in Slovenia. He opted not to go but was happy to have been invited since it was limited to some of the top young chess players in the U.S. In 2013, Pieter also attended the Super Nationals in Tennessee.

 

Presently, he is coached by Ralph Zimmer, a local Fide Master and Baltimore City police sergeant, and has been making further progress. He has played many local tournaments and some big national tournaments. Most of his opponents these days are adults. He is a big fan of quick (30 minutes or less) and blitz games (3-5 minute games). Based on his rating in standard chess, he has been in the top twenty, sometimes sneaking into the top ten, nationally for his age. He is the 7th ranked blitz player and 13th ranked quick player in the country under age 13. He is particularly proud of his Fide (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) Blitz Rating of 2230. Blitz is the only type of chess game in which he has beaten Grandmasters.

 

We are all very proud of our Chess Champion, Pieter, and look forward to celebrating the many accomplishments in his future. Congratulations, Pieter!