Congratulations Utah State Speed Chess Champion of 2009!

Kayden has done it again! In an amazing state adult tournament at SLCC this weekend he played 7 opponents in 14 five minute games with only 1 loss and 3 draws, securing the title for himself as the Utah State Speed Chess Champion of 2009! The tournament has never been won by anyone in K - 12 and KSL and Fox13 News have already picked up the story. The article was up on KSL.com yesterday with the title, "10-year-old making splash in the chess world." The story will air on Fox13 News this weekend.

Many people make assumptions about Kayden (and our family) because of how much he practices and because he is homeschooled. I don't know that anyone could have described Kayden better than when my mom, Kim Troff, said, "Kayden is the most genuine, kind person that I know (adult or otherwise). He has never asked to be in the limelight and is, in fact, very shy about all the attention he is getting. He plays chess because he LOVES it. He practice many hours a day because that is what HE wants to do. He has a dream of becoming a Grandmaster and he is working on that dream. He still does school and is doing very well (beyond grade level). Right now we are reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and talking about the affects of slavery and he is doing Algebra. He loves the Nintendo, and he hangs out with friends. He gets up early and works on his chess in the evening, but he is still a kid. We would choose to just quietly help him accomplish his goals without all the fanfare, but he graciously smiles and answers their questions. He loves what he does, and we love the people we meet through chess."

It makes us so happy to see Kayden's hard work paying off and to see his dreams coming true. Congratulations Kayden! You are wonderful and we love you!

Love from the Bentley Family

*Photo courtesy of ksl.com