EP 486: James Black Jr. on Going from Scholastic Star to Chess Mentor
About this episode
James Black Jr. discusses his journey from a scholastic chess star to a mentor and coach.
As a scholastic player, James Black Jr. was an All-American who won numerous national titles and trophies, both as an individual competitor and as part of the famed IS 318 chess program in Brooklyn, New York, as featured in the documentary Brooklyn Castle. Alongside FM Joshua Colas and IM Justus Williams, James became one of the youngest African-American National Masters in U.S. history. After stepping away from competitive chess for several years, James has recently returned to the game, both as a player and as a coach and mentor. In a full-circle moment, he is now teaching at the same school where he first made his name while also building his own organization, KnightShift. James joins me to discuss: • Why he came back to competitive chess, and his goals for the future • The "four pillars" he emphasizes when teaching young players • How chess training has changed since his rise in the early 2010s, and what he needs to do to catch up Plus, we discuss a unique chess book recommendation, his memories of Webster University, and his reaction to the news that its chess program is coming to an end. This was a fun conversation, and I am excited to see James's comeback unfold. 00:00…
More episodes of Perpetual Chess Podcast
- EP 485: GM Simon Williams on Mistakes, Revival, and the Future of Chesspublishing
- EP 484: Jordan Himelfarb on Interregnum and the Drama of the 2024 Candidates Cycle
- EP 483- Paulo SantAnna: What Happens When a Retired Adult Treats Chess Like a Full-Time Job?
- EP 482- GM Ivan Sokolov on Talent, Training and Modern Chess
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