Full name Nicholas Nip Title USCF Master Role Chess master | Country United States Name Nicholas Nip | |
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Born March 10, 1998 (age 26)
San Francisco ( 1998-03-10 ) | ||
Nicholas nip youngest chess master in history
Nicholas Nip (born March 10, 1998) is a United States Chess Federation (USCF) National Master (NM). In 2008, he became the youngest USCF Master in history, obtaining a rating of 2207 at the age of 9 years, 11 months and 26 days, a record that was surpassed in 2010 by Samuel Sevian. Nip was taught the game by Academic Chess when he was enrolled in Kindergarten and was coached by its founder, Eric Hicks (who recognized Nip's potential) and Lina Vark, his wife.
Nip's feat broke the record held for a decade by fellow chess prodigy Hikaru Nakamura. However, Nip's record was not without controversy because matches were included in the rating calculations, prompting allegations of manipulation. Since accomplishing the record, Nip no longer plays chess, and due to his inactivity no longer appears on the bi-monthly top 100 lists for his age.
On April 21, 2008, Nip played ten simultaneous games on Live with Regis and Kelly.