Eighth grader Andre Yang began his competitive chess journey at the young age of six-years-old. 

“I played my first tournament when I was in first grade,” Andre said.

Years later, he began to understand the game more. In 2024, Andre went over a 2000 USCF rating. This milestone placed him amongst the one of the best middle schoolers in the nation. A 2000 rating means that he’s placed in the top five percent of competitive chess players in the world. 

“I reached a 2000+ rating in 2024,” Andre said.

Andre enjoys the logic and strategy of the game. He loves learning more tactics and strategies and playing in different time controls.

“I like to play bullet the most, but I am better at classical chess,” Andre said.

Bullet chess are lightning fast games that are typically one minute. Classical chess is where you need to use a lot of calculation, patience and theory. It generally has a timing of ten minutes. 

Andre’s role model is a player who is both enthusiastic and funny, while also disciplined.  

“My favorite chess player is Anish Giri because I think he has a great sense of humor while other top chess players are often emotionally incompetent,” Andre said.

Before tournaments, Andre practices through online games and drills to strengthen his strategies and tactics.

“I prepare my tournaments primarily by playing online chess which helps me get warmed up, and doing puzzles because it helps me get sharper and ready for the real games,” Andre said.

Some of his proudest accomplishments include winning against Candidate Masters (CM) and National Masters (NM). 

“I am most proud of my three-way tie with IM Edward Song in the Harold Steen Memorial Cup,” Andre said.

Looking ahead, Andre has goals in his mind.

“The best outcome for me is to achieve the NM (National Master) title, but it would be easier to achieve the CM (Candidate Master) title,” Andre said.

As high school becomes more demanding and tiring, Andre has to adjust how many competitions he attends.

“Because high school is busier, I will likely attend fewer tournaments and not go to a pro-level,” Andre said.

He hopes to make a mark on the chess community and get more people to join. Andre wants more local events so young players won’t have to travel across states to participate in competitions and wants everyone to have easy accessibility. 

“My goal is to eventually make my own chess tournaments in Ann Arbor, as right now it is hard for me and others to go to a higher-level tournament here in Michigan. I often need to drive down to Ohio or Illinois,” Andre said.

But like any competitor, Andre faces losses.

“After a tough game, I like to first review my mistakes, check over the opening, and then try to forget about it,” Andre said. “Watching TV and playing Brawl Stars has helped me regroup and start fresh for the next round.”

He also offers advice for players hoping to improve.

“One very important piece of advice I would give people taking private lessons is not to depend on that one hour of the week to try and improve,” Andre said. “Even solving just one puzzle a day will help improve. For those not taking private lessons, I feel openings are very important, as a strong opening repertoire means you can get into comfortable positions more favorable to you.”

Andre is a long way from where he was before. From a first grader to a 2000-rated competitor, Andre continues improving. He aims to help the chess community around him, and get more people to join.