Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2002

Copyright 2002 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

Ballard student's chess skills earn him national ranking

By NIKKI SCHORMANN

Although only a junior at Ballard High School, Rudy Vrana has already had a myriad of remarkable accomplishments. His talent for chess, his most noted skill to date, has even ranked him as among the best high school players in the nation.

His father, John Crutcher, a technical writer for Microsoft, taught him to play when he was just five years old. His ability in this area has taken off from there.

When Vrana was in the third grade, his father took him to his first tournament. He tied for first place. This is when he began to get attention for his talent.

"I made a lot of mistakes, but luck was on my side," Vrana says of his early chess-playing days.

By age 11, Vrana was able to routinely beat his dad at chess. At this point, Vrana had to develop his skills on his own. He studied chess before and after schools, even occasionally waking up at 5 a.m. to squeeze studying in before school. It was around this time that Vrana decided he was too advanced to play his classmates anymore, and began playing adults.

"It took hard work to get better," Vrana says, "but that's why I liked the game so much, because it was a big challenge."

As a student at McClure Middle School, Vrana began a rivalry with a chess player at Seattle Country Day School, a private K-8 school. Vrana describes the battle for the state chess championship for middle school students as a public school vs. private school matter.

As a middle school student, Vrana became one of the top two chess players for his age in the state.

In the spring of 2000, during his freshman year at Ballard High, Vrana traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for the Super Nationals high school chess tournament. He played seven games, and lost two, which earned him the rank of 14th best high school chess player in the nation.

Vrana describes this as a great experience, citing the fun he had playing the best high school chess players from all over the country. He is considering returning this year in order to retain his ranking.

Unlike many of his chess champion peers around the nation, Vrana does not have a coach he prefers to study alone.

He acknowledges that he occasionally seeks help, but adds, "I try to show that all you need is heart to get better."

Last school year, Vrana started a chess club at Ballard High. The club met after school on Tuesdays and attracted 30 to 40 students each week.

In order to promote the club, Vrana agreed one time to play 24 other students simultaneously.

He won all but one of the games. Once again the spotlight was on Vrana, both at Ballard High and in the Ballard community.

"I have to admit, it's cool being acknowledged for what I do," says Vrana. "It makes me want to do even better and get more fame," he adds jokingly.

Despite his clear skill for the game, chess is not Vrana's only interest. He also plays on the varsity soccer team for Ballard High, and practices the piano in his free time.

In fact, back in middle school, he was voted most athletic

in his eighth grade class.

"I try to do many different things, to show chess is not my life, it's just something I'm good at."

This school year, Ballard High has formed a competitive chess team, which will play other schools in the area. Vrana said he may help the team, but he hopes to once again begin a chess club where students can just come to play for fun, without the pressure of competition. Vrana said the club he hopes to organize would meet on either Tuesdays or Thursdays this school year.

He has yet to decide whether he will play chess professionally. He considered it in middle school, but he is exploring his options now.

However, he does continue to work on his skills.

"I think chess is a way to forget your problems," Vrana explains. "It's just you vs. your opponent."

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Nikki Schormann is a senior at Ballard High School and a news intern at the Seattle Sun.