K. K. Karanja

Kangugi "K. K." Karanja (born November 23, 1973) is an chess player and is widely regarded as the first African-American chess prodigy. He became a Candidate Master at the age of 10, the youngest African-American to do so. [http://www.thechessdrum.net/historicmoments/HM_marapr01.html "The Chess Drum's Historic Moments: Baraka Shabazz & K.K. Karanja"] - no date or author]

In 1985 at the age of 11, he won the National Elementary Chess Championship with a perfect 7-0 score (seven wins and zero losses), becoming the first African-American to win a national scholastic title and the second African-American to win a national chess championship (Frank Street, Jr. in 1965 was the first). [ [http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:U5VvxIK5xeQJ:query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html%3Fres%3D9503E0DD143BF934A35756C0A963948260+Kk+karanja+1985&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=firefox-a "NEW YORK DAY BY DAY: Titleholders on East Side"] ] That year, he also won the prestigious Laura Aspis Prize, granted annually by the United States Chess Federation for the highest rated American chess player under the age of 13. He became the first and only African-American to accomplish this.

The next year, he repeated as Aspis winner at the age of 12, becoming one of the few two-time winners of the award. He also qualified as the United States representative for the 1986 World Under-14 Chess Championship, the only African-American to do so.Fact|date=October 2008 In 1987, he was selected to the inaugural All-America Chess Team,Fact|date=October 2008 which recognizes the top 0.1-0.2 percent of chess players age 18 years and younger. He was the first African-American to make the team, and is one of only two ever to qualify (Shearwood McClelland III was the other in 1995). [ [http://www.theleagueonline.org/alumni_spotlight.php?submit=detail&uid=92 The League: Black Ivy Alumni League: "Shearwood McClelland III"] ] Karanja also qualified for the 1987 U.S. Cadet Championship where only the top eight players under age 16 are invited to compete.

In 1988, Karanja was selected to participate in a simultaneous exhibition held by Grandmaster and World Champion Garry Kasparov in New York, during Kasparov's first visit to America. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51269037.html?FMT=FT&dids=51269037:51269037&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+23%2C+1988&author=&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Quints+turning+18+Series%3A+people "People: Quints turning 18 Series", "St. Petersburg Times", Feb 23, 1988, page 3A] , reprinted at TampaBay.com] Of the 59 players to compete against Kasparov, only Karanja and fellow prodigy Josh Waitzkin held Kasparov to draws (the other 57 players lost). [Reynolds, Maura, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDE173AF930A15751C0A96E948260 "Pupils No Match For Kasparov, Even Simultaneously"] , The New York Times, February 23, 1988]

In 1989, at the age of 15 years and 7 months, Karanja became a chess master, becoming the second youngest African-American at the time to achieve that feat behind Howard Daniels (15 years, 4 months). He subsequently attended Carleton College. [http://www.thechessdrum.net/newsbriefs/2003/NB_Karanja.html The Chess Drum: "A Friend Reflects on KK Karanja" July 26, 2003] ] Although he is no longer active on the chess scene, his excellence served to inspire subsequent African-American national chess champions, including Shearwood McClelland III, R. O. Mitchell, and Kimberly McClelland.

A sample of Karanja's attacking style is evidenced in the following [http://www.thechessdrum.net/palview2/karanja-seltzer.htm game] from the 1987 United States Cadet Chess Championship.

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