Last Thursday, Bark Video Editor Alex Herz and Editor-in-Chief Culley Deisinger challenged freshman Ladia Jirasek, a national Chessmaster, to a short game of chess. Deisinger shares Ladia’s story, as well as  the details of his experience.

I had the personal pleasure of playing a relatively short chess match against freshman Ladia Jirasek at last Thursday’s Redwood Chess Club meeting. The 14-year-old Jirasek has only five years of chess under his belt and, in the most modest sense of the term, put on a clinic for me.

Jirasek’s interest in chess was sparked after viewing the famous “wizard chess” scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the age of nine. It was the first time Jirasek had seen chess, and, after playing with and learning from his father, he joined Marin Scholastic Chess.

From that point on, Jirasek, without any help from private coaches, quickly evolved from a beginning level of 0 to his now 2221-point Chessmaster international ranking. To put that into perspective, only 0.7 percent of all American chess players ever get to a 2200 point level or higher.

Jirasek has played at numerous tournaments throughout his short career. As proof of his dedication to the game, Jirasek once engaged in an especially rigorous tournament match that lasted from five in the afternoon to one in the morning. He eventually conceded to a draw. Last week, Jirasek played and defeated renowned chess instructor and Life Master Michael Aigner.

“I love challenges and I love to take on new challenges. There are so many different moves in chess and that there is always something new to learn,” Jirasek said.

If you are not convinced of Jirasek’s chess prowess, you can go watch him play every Monday and Thursday in room 257 during the bi-weekly Chess Club meeting, hosted by senior Harry Levinson. If you’re not willing to make the trip, here is a short clip detailing our hard-fought match: