Kayden Troff facts for kids

Kayden William Troff, born on May 6, 1998, is an American chess Grandmaster. He became the World Champion for chess players under 14 years old in 2012.

About Kayden Troff

Kayden grew up in West Jordan, Utah. His parents are Kim and Daniel. He has a sister named Brynndi and two brothers, Jeremy and Zachary. Kayden is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He also spent time as a missionary in Australia.

How Kayden Started Chess

Kayden showed a talent for chess when he was only three years old. He learned to play by watching his father. When Kayden turned six, he trained for a week with Grandmaster Igor Ivanov. He also received training from other chess experts like Melikset Khachiyan and Alexander Chernin.

Early Chess Wins

Kayden won his first Utah State Elementary Championship at age six. He continued to win first place in his section of this championship every year after that.

In December 2007, he was chosen for the United States Chess Federation's 2008 All-America Chess Team. At age 10, he was named to the 2010 All-America Chess Team again. This honor is one of the highest a young chess player can achieve in the United States. On December 14, 2008, he earned second place at the National K–12 Championships for fifth graders.

Becoming a Young Champion

In 2009, Kayden won the Utah Speed Chess Championship when he was just ten years old. This made him the youngest player ever to win that event. After this, he became the Utah G/60 Champion, also as the youngest player to do so. The tournament director even called him "Utah's Mozart of Chess." He also won the 2009 North American Youth Championship for players under 12 in Mazatlán.

From June 2009 to October 2010, Kayden's quick chess rating was the highest among all U.S. players under 13. This was according to the Top 100 rating list from the USCF. In May 2010, he played against Harold Stevens, who was then Utah's highest-rated player. Kayden won all three games in that match. In October 2010, he won the Utah Open tournament.

Kayden's Big Achievements

Kayden won the world championship for chess players aged 14 and under in Maribor, Slovenia, in 2012. He also won a silver medal for players aged 12 and under at the World Youth Chess Championships in Greece in 2010. He finished behind future grandmaster Wei Yi.

Earning the Grandmaster Title

To become a Grandmaster, a chess player needs to achieve three "GM Norms" and reach an Elo rating of 2500. Kayden earned his Grandmaster title at the Saint Louis Invitational in May 2014. He was only 16 years old at the time.

In June 2014, Kayden became the US Junior Chess Champion. He scored 7 out of 9 possible points in that tournament.

Chess Streaming

In June 2023, Kayden Troff started streaming his chess games online. He streams on Twitch under the name ChessSharkz.