Young, Gifted & Black Series
By Taki S. Raton
Justus Williams
This former chess novice has risen to the title of the “LeBron James of Chess” as noted by Todd Johnson in his June 20, 2012 TheGriot posting.
He is young, gifted, and Black. At the age of 12, Justus Williams became the youngest African American chess master in history. Now at 15, according to the U.S. Chess Federation, is listed among the top-ranked youth chess players in the world.
Described by Dr. Daaim Shabazz in his July 23, 2013 “The Chess Drum” posting as “a slender, clean-cut, bi-speckled high school sophomore at the Bronx School of Science and Technology,” Justus has already traveled to several countries and has even starred in the documentary, “Brooklyn Castle”.
It would be on this July 23 date records Shabazz, that Justus achieved a win in the U.S. Cadet Championship, a tournament featuring the top eight players under 16 years of age.
“Amongst the eight master-level players, he showed the most poise in his demeanor and in his play,” reveals Shabazz. In the final round, the “Chess Drum” founder and editor calls the play citing that Justus was able to apply just enough pressure and plan the right moves whereby his opponent would “ultimately collapse in a heap.”
With this victory, Justus would win a scholarship to the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMBC).
Johnson writes that Justus in the third grade “was your typical Air Jordan-wearing music-loving kid going to public school.” But he started looking for an extra-curricular activity to get involved in. His mother suggested chess.
The then sprouting master-to-be joined an after-school program called ‘Chess in the Schools’ and immediately caught on to the game. Justus soon started competing nationally and internationally, winning titles along the way.
Now an internationally recognized chess master, Justus, notes The Griot, is ranked fourth in the world in his age group and has traveled all over the globe to play other renowned chess players, some more than twice his age.
“Ever since I was in elementary school, my goal has always been to achieve the title of World Champion,” he says in a letter to one of his benefactors as quoted in Mays.
“This may appear to be a long shot to most people, but with the support from you, your foundation, my family and friends, I know I can do it.”
A Chess NYC posting cites sixteen exemplar national and international accomplishments to include qualifying three consecutive years for the Unites States All American Team in 2010, 2011, and in 2012; awarded the title of 2012 USCF National Champion while still in the 9th grade; honored at the Historical Marshall Chess Club as the “Future of Chess;” represented the United States 4 times – Brazil (2), Greece (1), Montreal (1); invited to Johannesburg, South Africa to teach chess at the Capricorn School; listed number “40” in MSNBC’s “Top 100 Black Celebrities” list, and founder of the “Dare to be Different Foundation.”
We are very, very proud of Justus,” say his mom, Latisha Ballard-Williams in the Chess NYC post. Referring to the coaching support of Chess NYC, she adds that “we are providing Justus with every advantage and with the very best opportunity to reach the top of the chess world.”
This is not the first occasion that this remarkable chess talent has been included in this series. Under the headline banner “African American males continue Black chess master legacy,” Justus along with his contemporaries, James Black, Jr., and Joshua Colas were featured in YGB on April 7, 2012.
As cited in his November 14, 2011 writing, “Black Like Moi,” less than two percent of the United States Chess Federation are masters, counting some 47,000 members. Only 13 of these masters are under the age of 14. And as of the 2011 writing, all three of the 13 masters – Justus, James, and Joshua – are African American young men.
“Young, Gifted & Black” also featured on November 1, 2012 the chess skills of Rochelle Ballantyne who was also at the time of the writing on her personal road to achieving top level status, thus to become the first African American female to attain the title of chess master. While attending I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, Rochelle became the highest-rated player at the school.
But since entering high school at Brooklyn Tech, she has placed her academics first. Writes Shabazz, apparently her studies coupled with her chess talent and potential has paid off. Rochelle promptly won a scholarship to the University of Texas-Austin and has also been accepted into Stanford. Her goal of becoming the first African American female National Chess Master, however, is still in her sights.
Citing published accounts, all four of these talented African American teens – Justus, James, Joshua, and Rochelle – have competed in the 2012 and are scheduled to compete in the 2013 World Youth Chess Championship.
The 2012 World Youth Chess Championship took place in Maribor, Slovenia on November 7 through the 19th and the 2013 competition will be held December 17th through the 19th at Al Ain, UAE (United Arab Emirates).
According to USCF Director of International Youth Events, Jerry Nash in a July 8, 2013 USCF (United States Chess Federation) descriptor, players qualify by achieving a minimum overall rating; by earning a Personal Right (PR) in winning a medal at the previous World Youth competition, and by achieving top spots at designated National scholastic events.
Justus, writes Johnson, will continue to compete internationally and is working on releasing a series of video tutorials on how to play chess. The Griot in an interview with Justus further reveals that he loves martial arts and that he “longs for another dog.”
His favorite quote is Salvador Dali’s words: “Intelligence without ambition is like a bird without wings,” and he gets his inspiration from God, from his mom, from coaching younger children, and by winning. His mentors are “my mom and Maurice Ashley.”
Born March 6, 1966 in St. Andrew, Jamaica, Maurice Ashley became in 1999 the first African American to receive the chess grandmaster title. He would become at that time the top-ranked Black chess player in the world. In 2005, he wrote the book, “Chess for Success,” relating his experiences in the game and the positive aspects of chess.
As recorded in the “New Yorker,” Ashley says that African American youth “don’t see Black chess players – no Blacks in intellectual fields at all. It’s when the kids start seeing these paths that they become possibilities in their minds, and then it’s not a shock to them that Harlem kids can be national chess champions.”
Justus at first did not think that he was going to be good at chess until he learned of Maurice Ashley and began to follow his path. And now with self confidence, vision and the acquired competitive skills to match, he shares this advice with his fellow teens: “Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love to do as long as it is safe and healthy… Oh, and always listen to your mom.”