Focused, composed, and brimming with passion — that’s 7-year-old Arena Candidate Master (ACM) Jayden Hylton in a nutshell. Decked out in his miniature grey three-piece suit for an interview with The Gleaner, the adorable young chess whiz started off a bit shy. But the moment he sat behind his chessboard, it was like someone flipped a switch — his focus sharpened, and he was ready to play.

What began as a simple introduction to the game in February of this year, courtesy of his teacher Ms Graham, quickly escalated to over 78 over-the-board tournaments — both locally and internationally — along with several championship titles, accolades, and the prestigious ACM title. However, the journey didn’t start off convincingly for his mother, Natoya Anderson.

“I remember Jay first came to me and said that he wanted to play chess and I told him that it’s rich people some thing that,” she said, laughing at the memory. “But when I realised he was serious and even wanted to enter a tournament, I asked him how, when he didn’t know how to play. Then one day, the teacher saw me and said, ‘He knows how to play.’”

Though Anderson wasn’t entirely convinced, especially since her son had only played a few times for 45 minutes, she took the teacher’s word for it and signed him up, albeit unknowingly for the wrong category.

“Everybody went for the capture the king, which is a lower level. And I registered him for under 1000 because I thought beginner meant beginner, but it didn’t, it meant persons who knew how to play up to a rating level of 1000,” Anderson explained.

Nevertheless, Hylton participated in the second round of the tournament, having missed the first one because of late registration. He was a bit disappointed that his friends weren’t in the same room, only to later discover they were competing in a lower level while he was up against older players in the higher level. Despite the challenge, he managed to win three out of six games. Following this début, the Nationals arrived, along with more online and over-the-board tournaments, and video tutorials and reading, which helped build his ratings.

Taking his chess career to the international stage, Hylton attended the US National Junior Congress in July, where he came home with two gold awards and a bronze. But, the pivotal moment arrived in August when he represented Jamaica at the Central American and Caribbean Chess Championship in El Salvador.

When asked what about chess makes him so intrigued, the aspiring grandmaster told GoodHeart, “I like that it (chess) helps me think strategically and build my problem-solving skills. Plus, it is pretty fun … I do want to learn different openings, though, to get even better.”

As for his experience in El Salvador, Hylton said he first came across the ACM title when he met and played against an 8-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago, ACM Ty Humphrey, “I had never seen the ACM title before. Ty only lost one game to the ultimate winner of the Under-8 category, and displayed remarkable sportsmanship throughout the tournament.”

Feeling inspired and setting his sights on the FIDE Arena Chess Master title before returning to school in September, Hylton dove into action. He played over 200 FIDE-rated online games in just three weeks, tackling everything from lightning-fast one-minute matches to more measured 45-minute contests. His opponents ranged from 8 to 65 years old, hailing from Asia, Europe, Africa, and America. He eventually came out successful and received an official ACM title certificate from FIDE.

Now that school is back in session, his mother says that she is not worried about his ability to balance chess with academics. In fact, according to her, the sport seems to help him focus, grasping concepts more easily, and improves his memory while helping with his personal development.

“One of the reasons I allow him to remain in chess is because he was, you know, like a very hyperactive student. So the chess sort of calm him down and allows him to do his work. Whenever he’s sick and he opens the chess board, it’s like he immediately starts getting better,” Anderson shared. Furthermore, she encourages her son before every game to play with an intention and a purpose, which he seems to apply to other areas of his life.

Aside from playing the game, Hylton likes to teach it to his friends, family and even strangers. One can almost always count on him to show a new move or teach the basics of the game, which even I got a chance to experience first-hand.

So, what’s next for ACM Jayden Hylton? He is preparing for two major international tournaments in Canada and the USA in the coming weeks and is aiming to continue building his ratings. He also hopes to one day participate in Chess Olympiad and to eventually earn the Arena FIDE Master (AFM) title.

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