Hardaway gracing the cover of Chess Life!
Brewington Hardaway stands majestically on the cover of the current Chess Life magazine in a vintage black and white photo. Aptly written by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, the story titled “A Long Time Coming” is in reference to his long pursuit of the GM title, but also the 25-year gap it has taken another Black player to earn the honor.
I just see it as an opportunity to inspire kids from a similar background. There are not many others besides my good friend, Tani (IM Tani Adewumi). I think there’s a lot of potential out there; we just need kids to have motivation and inspiration to reach their potential.
~ Brewington Hardaway on the underrepresentation of African-Americans in chess
While there are a double-digit number of Black GMs around the world (many Cuban), Hardaway’s ascent to becoming one of over 2100 players in history to earn the title was highly anticipated. Following his sister Noni Hardaway into chess may have been one of the biggest turns of his young life.
Brewington won the New York K1 championship at age 5 and beat his first International Master at age 7 in his first couple of years of play. His accomplishments were profiled here at The Chess Drum, including becoming a National Master at age 10. At 13, he would win the K8 National Championship on tiebreaks.
After that, Brewington would go on one of the most impressive norm hunt with three IM norms and three GM norms in 21 months… IM (#1, #2, #3) and GM (#1, #2, #3).
I just got my final GM Norm at the 2024 Sants Open! My FIDE Rating is now 2489 which means I need 11 more points to become GM! This is the first time I’ve played outside the U.S in a few years and it was a great experience. Thank you @SantsChess for hosting an incredible event! pic.twitter.com/HREy9WbdH0
— Brewington Hardaway (@IMBrewChess) September 1, 2024
Maurice Ashley was the first African-American to earn the title and blazed the trail for others to follow. In the article, he expressed some bewilderment about why it took so long for the second. However, one may wonder whether this is the function of the individual or the function of community support. The number of Black chess players has been noticeably declining over the past few decades as the first generation of masters has retired or passed away.
Brewington missed this generation of Black masters who were playing in the Lone Pine, New York Open, and World Open tournaments. However, he seemed to benefit from a natural joy for chess rather than being part of a chess group or being driven as a prodigy.
I just loved to play. Whenever I saw a nice tactic, it made me happy.
This may have helped Brewington move through the painful norm process. He did have the support of his family and his coaches early on. This guidance was key in helping him in challenging times. The article discusses his near misses and heartbreaking losses on his GM path, and in this interview with American legend Yasser Seirawan, how he approaches his preparation.
Currently rated 2522, the 16-year-old played in the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz with a strong result, followed by his biggest international win at the Fujairah Global Masters in Dubai.
Brewington ended the ZOOM interview by saying he has room for improvement and he wants to reach 2600 before his high school years are done. He mentions his rating, but in general, he plans to focus on his training, believing that the rating increase will follow. Ashley did a great job in the article, capturing many of the questions that would give the reader a good sense of the young GM.
Hardaway gracing the cover is a testament to how chess is getting younger and more widespread in pop culture. Hopefully, it will show more inclusivity of underserved communities. Hardaway is one of several Black masters gracing the cover of Chess Life, starting with Walter Harris in 1960. Let’s hope it won’t take another 25 years to see the next Black Grandmaster.
Link: https://new.uschess.org/news/inside-story-long-time-coming