Community Corner

Creve Coeur Resident in Chess Finals

Jialin Ding has earned his way into competitions around St. Louis and beyond.

Jialin Ding likes to think-and think-and think.

That is why he’s competing this weekend in the Junior Closed Championship being held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

The Creve Coeur resident and sophomore-to-be is one of 10 students competing this week for the title of U.S. Junior Chess Champion.

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Jialin, the son of Steven Ding and Qian Ling, started playing chess at age 9 with his father.

“My dad taught me the game and we played together,” he said. “Then, I started talking to one of my friends who plays chess and is pretty good and I really got interested. When I was 10, I played my first tournament.”

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Steven, who played a bit of chess in high school, said he bought Jialin a basic chess set and taught him “a bit about the moves.”

“That was the start,” he said. “ He seemed to like it. he liked thinking about moving and that’s very important in chess. Most kids see something and start to move. But, in chess, you have to think twice and make a better move.”

Jialin likes to think which was what attracted him to the game.

“Chess is a thinking game, and you have to have lots of strategies you can pick from and get new ideas,” he said.

After awhile, Steven said he was wondering why he was playing with Jialin. “I thought, why do I want to play with him? He’s thinking too long. So I bought a clock. It turns out, he wants to think clearly and very logically before moving, and that’s a very important part of playing chess. He wants to always find a better move.”

Jialin has played in tournaments all across the country from Washington, DC, to Chicago, IL, to Las Vegas NE.

“I’ve done fairly well,” he said.

That must be so since he has qualified as a US delegate to the World Youth Chess Championship to be held in Brazil this November.

“I might go to that,” he said.

Mike Wilmering, communications director for the chess club, said this tournament will be a challenge for the young man from Creve Coeur.

“He came in as an underdog, and he knows that it’s an uphill battle, but it will be great experience for the future.”

The winner of the championship will be invited to the 2012 U.S. Championship and the 2011 World Junior Championship, scheduled for August in Chennai, India.

The winner will receive $3,000, second will win $2,000, and third will win $1,500. A prize fund worth $10,000 will be divided among the players.

Linda Jarrett is a freelancer reporter for Ladue-Frontenac Patch


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Creve Coeur