February 7, 2015
The World Chess Hall of Fame is presenting February’s featured chess set courtesy of Takashi Kurosaki. Kurosaki began playing at San Francisco’s Mechanics’ Institute at age fourteen and three years later earned the title of national master. In 1972, he played in the U.S. Junior Closed Tournament, which was sponsored by Jacqueline Piatigorsky. The following year, he won the California Junior Chess Championship, in a field which included future U.S. Chess Hall of Fame inductee Diane Savereide. After a break of about twenty years, Kurosaki began playing chess again in the 1990s. His background as a programmer led him to create Chess with Zombies, a playful contemporary take on the ancient game of chess.