Nicolas Checa

Nicolas Checa is an 8th grader at Dobbs Ferry Middle School, in Dobbs Ferry, New York. When he is not playing chess, Nicolas is a karate Black Belt and an avid soccer player, normally playing as a midfielder. 2012 started Nicolas’ chess achieves when he became U12 National Champion in the USCF/Chess.com invitational championship. He has since been a member of the All-American Chess Team.

At age 11, he became the youngest New York State Champion in history—a record that he still holds which led to his profiles in both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. In 2014 he placed second in the U14 section of the North American Youth Chess Championship and obtained 1st place in the NAYCC Blitz Open. 2015 brought continued success as he tied for 5th place in the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece, where he was the official U.S. player in the U14 section. Nicolas has also played in World Youth Chess Championships in the United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, and Brazil.

This July, he achieved his third norm (World Open in Philadelphia) and his FIDE rating has crossed 2400. In December 2015, he achieved two norm performances (Marshall Chess Championship and North American Open). As the 2016 Champion of the Chess Club of Fairfield County (Norwalk, Connecticut), and the newest IM-elect, Nicolas is sure to bring a challenge to the U.S. Junior Closed field.