Josh Waitzkin first discovered chess in New York City’s Washington Square Park when he was 6 years old. He set out to the park intent on playing on the monkey bars but when he arrived, Waitzkin was captivated by the fast-paced games of chess being played by adults across the way. The checkered board and the pieces that moved across it were a miniature world that Waitzkin would soon throw himself into and, eventually, master.
