Yashom Kapoor started playing chess in 1st grade when his grandfather brought a chess set over from India. At first, he simply remembers liking how his grandpa would always let him win, but as he improved, he gained an appreciation for the challenges and intricacies of the game.

“It’s tricky,” Yashom said. “You have to learn the tactics, the strategies. There’s so many different facets to it. All of them are difficult; they test something different and you have to be smart to get good at it. So I find it mentally stimulating.”

Though he doesn’t deny the role talent plays at the highest levels of chess, Yashom believes that with enough practice, most people can become decent at the game. In his words, chess is “really approachable.”

As a younger player, Yashom performed well at tournaments, reaching a 1,500 United State Chess Federation (USCF) rating, indicating above-average strength as a chess player (grand masters must accumulate 2,500 points). He attributes much of his growth to chess books his coach shared with him. Among these were “Pandolfini’s Ultimate Guide to Chess” by Bruce Pandolfini, “Chess Tactics for Champions” by Susan Polgar and “Winning Chess Openings” by Yasser Seriwan.

However, since reaching that 1,500 ranking at age 11, Yashom has prioritized playing for fun over advancing competitively. Additionally, as the president of the chess club this year, he has poured significant energy into creating a community of chess players on campus and helping novices become passionate about chess. His inspiration for doing so came from back when he lived in Indiana prior to moving to California in the summer before 8th grade. 

“We had this weekly club, where the entire community would get together and play chess and it was a whole lot of fun,” Yashom said. “The person who used to run it, his name was Mr. Graves. I respect him a lot. He would come to all my tournaments, he would cheer me on. It had a really big impact on my chess progression and kept me motivated and really excited. I want to be that for other people.”

The chess club saw its fastest growth last year with the widespread trend of online chess combined with the leadership of grand master and Class of ‘23 alumnus Andrew Hong. Like Hong, Yashom focused on cultivating a welcoming environment for students to play chess with their friends, as opposed to offering formal chess training. This has attracted a significant number of underclassmen to club meetings. Additionally, he has also started taking the club to local tournaments and competing against other Bay Area schools, and, according to Yashom, they have been doing “pretty well.” 

Yashom will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall, where he will major inr data science. He intends to continue his involvement with chess: Specifically, he will keep helping run an organization he and his sister junior Yana Yashom co-founded called Chess for Every Mind, which teaches chess to students with autism. 

More simply, Yashom enjoys the intellectual challenge promised by facing someone across a chessboard. 

“Chess is definitely a skill that I want to have,” he said.