Harbor Country Third Grader ranks 11th nationally by US Chess Federation
The US Chess Federation has deemed eight-year-old Liam Putnam, a third grader at Harbor Country Day School, 11th in the nation, in his age group. What’s more impressive than that? The fact that little Liam has only been playing chess for one year.
In December, Putnam’s Love of Chess lead to a tie for second place overall in the US Chess Federation Scholastic Grade Level National tournament. Liam Putnam beat close to 200 other third graders during the tournament.
“Everyone here at Harbor is very proud of Liam. He’s a wonderful boy – he loves to make people smile and is always ready to learn something new. It comes as no surprise to me that he has done as well as he has. And his enthusiasm for chess is infectious. Our after-school ‘Chess Scholars’ program has become quite popular this year, as has our Upper School chess club. We wish Liam all the luck in the world as he pursues his passion even further.” – Mr. Cissel, Head of School for Harbor Country Day School
In January of 2016, Liam tried playing chess during an “indoor recess chess challenge” issued by a fellow student at Harbor Country Day. After the recess game sparked an interest within Liam, his mother helped him hone his skill. She assisted Liam in learning chess online and took him to attend the “Chessnuts” program at the Port Jefferson Free Library. in March of 2016, Liam played in his first tournament at the Portledge School tournament run by the Long Island Chess Center and has been unstoppable ever since.
“As parents, Michael and I were astonished by Liam’s thirst for learning chess… We had never been exposed to the world of scholastic chess before, so the last year has been an amazing journey for our family. We’re so proud of him and cannot wait to watch him continue to learn and grow.” – Liam’s mother, Amanda Putnam