Kayin Barclay, a scholastic standout from Chicago's Whitney Young H.S., won "Game of the Month" honors from Chess in Chicago. The featured game is his convincing win over National Master Jason Duncan in the Illinois Chess Association qualifier. Barclay will represent Illinois in the Denker tournament held in Phoenix, Arizona.

The 14-year old Barclay has come a long way since making a big splash at the 2003 Chicago Open. He scored an impressive 6-1 in the under-1800 section. He hopes to repeat his success in the 2005 Chicago Open enroute to his historic trip to Phoenix.

Barclay told The Chess Drum that his next goal is to break the "Expert" barrier in the USCF rating system.  He has been quite active and states that his rating should be approaching 1950. However, his play in the featured game indicates that his goal of a 2000 rating is quite modest.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 3 May 2005