DETROIT
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SOUTHFIELD
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Teen Hopes To Compete
In Brazil Chess Tourney
SUSAN GRANT
Staff Writer
H
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e has only been in
Detroit since
December 1989, but
already Vadim
Tsemekhman is making a
name for himself —in the
chess world.
In testament to his skill
are the numerous trophies
and medals —including one
from the Michigan Chess
Association naming him the
best player in the state —
displayed in his bedroom in
his family's Southfield
apartment. Vadim, 16, used
the prize money he earned at
chess tournaments around
the state to purchase a com-
puter.
But there is another
trophy Vadim would like to
add to his collection —the
1991 World Youth Cham-
pionship for players between
the ages of 16-18. Vadim, a
junior at Southfield High
School, is one of four teens in
the United States asked to
participate in the July tour-
nament in Maringa, Brazil.
While he would like to com-
pete, he may not get an op-
portunity.
Although he will not have
many expenses once in
Brazil, a round-trip plane
ticket costs almost $1,900,
said his mother, Anna, a re-
ceptionist for Jewish Reset-
tlement Service. The family
cannot afford it.
"I want to go to Brazil, but
the problem is the money,"
said Vadim, who knows this
may be his only chance to
participate in an interna-
tional tournament.
Vadim has come a long
way from the six-year-old
boy who watched his father
and grandfather sit around a
chess board in Kharkov,
Ukraine. When his grand-
father noticed how intrigued
Vadim was with the game,
he began to teach the boy,
Mrs. Tsemekhman said.
Soon, he joined a chess
club and began playing in
tournaments, said Vadim,
who fell in love with the
sport.
"Chess is a real game of
the mind," Vadim said. "I
have to think about what
I'm going to do and what my
opponent is going to do."
Like a football player who
trains his body for the play-
ing field, Vadim studies
chess daily, often for hours
at a time. He occasionally
works with a chess coach. He
Vadim: Tsemekhman:
Champ needs funds.
also needs to be in good
physical condition to main-
tain the stamina required to
sit at a chess board for the
average seven-hour game.
He has seen his opponents
lose because they were too
tired, said Vadim, who once
played an eight-hour game.
But his fi::st lesson was
master 4 ag the differences
betwc en playing chess in the
Soviet Union and playing in
America.
While chess clubs are
common in the Soviet Union,
he had trouble finding the
Oak Park Chess Club, where
he is now a member.
He also discovered he
needed money to play the
game. Tournaments usually
have entry fees, which are
unheard of in the Soviet
Union, Vadim said. But then
again, instead of the stan-
dard trophy he would earn in
the Ukraine, in Detroit he
receives money for winning.
But the biggest difference
is in attitude. "The Ameri-
can attitude toward chess is
it's not a big deal," said
Vadim, who takes the gaMe
seriously.
He hasn't lost many tour-
naments since arriving in
Detroit. Among his list of
honors is the Michigan In-
vitational Championship,
the Motor City Open Cham-
pionship, the Michigan Ju-
nior Championship and two
gold medals earned at last
year's Maccabi Games.
Although he is unsure
whether he wants to pursue
a professional chess career,
Vadim's goal is to become a
chess grand master.
"I feel that I'm good at
chess, but I'm not the best,"
said Vadim. " I like to be
better. I have to work and
become a good player." ❑