Justus Williams
{{Short description|American chess player (born 1998)}}
{{Infobox chess biography
|name = Justus Williams
|image = Justus Williams.png
|caption = Williams in 2016 | alt = Williams standing and thinking about an answer to an interview question from small children who are not pictured
|country = United States
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|5|25|df=y}}
|birth_place = Bronx, New York{{cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/2erd78/african-american-boys-master-the-game-of-chess|title=African-American Boys Master the Game of Chess|website=BET }}
|death_date =
|death_place =
|title = International Master (2021)
|rating =
|peakrating = 2428 (April 2022)
|FideID = 2049929
}}
Justus D. Williams (born 25 May 1998) is an American chess player who holds the title of International Master (IM).
Biography
He has a peak FIDE rating of 2420. When Williams was 12 years old, he became the youngest African American to earn the US Chess Federation (USCF) title of National Master (NM), surpassing Kassa Korley and since surpassed by several players, including current record-holder Brewington Hardaway. At junior high school IS 318 in New York City, he was a member of the team that won the K-8 junior high school national championship in 2010 and the first middle school team to win the K-12 high school national championship in 2012. Williams was featured as the star player of his junior high school chess team in the 2012 documentary Brooklyn Castle. Williams attended Webster University in St. Louis, where he played on the chess team on a full scholarship with middle school teammate James Black Jr. and fellow New York City area player Joshua Colas, both of whom also appeared in the Brooklyn Castle film. His college chess team was coached by Grandmaster (GM) Susan Polgar. Williams became a FIDE Master (FM) in 2013 and an International Master in 2021. He had earned all three of his IM norms by 2017 and clinched the title by reaching the rating threshold of 2400 four years later.{{cite web |last1=Mays |first1=Jeff |title=Teen Chess Prodigy Smashes Record Books |url=https://newsone.com/2193963/justus-williams-chess/ |website=News One |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 11 February 2013}}{{cite web |title=Brooklyn Castle: A Tribute to Chess Parents |url=https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2013/02/14/brooklyn-castle-a-tribute-to-chess-parents/ |website=The Chess Drum |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 14 February 2013}}{{cite web |last1=Shabazz |first1=Daaim |title=IS 318... Jr. High Champs! |url=https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2010/04/14/is-318-jr-high-champs/ |website=The Chess Drum |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 14 April 2010}}{{cite web |last1=Shabazz |first1=Daaim |title=I.S. 318 are H.S. Champs! |url=https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2012/04/16/i-s-318-wins-again/ |website=The Chess Drum |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 16 April 2012}}{{cite web |title=African-American Chess Masters Making Move to Next Level |url=https://www.diverseeducation.com/demographics/african-american/article/15098574/african-american-chess-masters-making-move-to-next-level |website=Diverse |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 20 May 2021}}{{cite web |title=Justus Williams |url=https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2049929 |website=FIDE |access-date=20 October 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Shabazz |first1=Daaim |title=Justus Williams clinches IM title! |url=https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2021/09/12/justus-williams-clinches-im-title/ |website=The Chess Drum |access-date=20 October 2021 | date = 12 September 2021}} He earned his first Grandmaster norm at the Charlotte Chess Center Fall Invitational with 6.5/9.{{cite web |last1=Shabazz |first1=Daaim |title=Justus Williams notches first GM norm! |url=https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2022/11/23/justus-williams-notches-first-gm-norm/ |website=The Chess Drum |access-date=25 November 2022 | date = 23 November 2022}}
References
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External links
- {{FIDE}}
{{US-chess-bio-stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Justus}}
Category:American chess players
Category:African-American chess players
Category:Chess International Masters
Category:Webster University alumni