Biography
(left) Luke's joy for competitive Chess began a the ripe age of 4. (center) Luke with Richard Vandenburg, Scholastic Trustee for the Idaho Chess Association. (right) Luke takes weekly lessons from local master, Dr. Michael Gold.
Luke Harmon-Vellotti (age 9) is a 3x National Chess Champion and the highest-rated chess player under the age of ten in the entire U.S. He is also the current Idaho State Scholastic Champion- 1st Place Overall of all K-12 competitors. He is currently among the top 3 highest rated active players in all of Idaho, a position he shares with local champions, Larry Parsons and Paul Johnson. His elite status in the country has uniquely positioned him to qualify for the World Junior Championships, which will be held this year in Vung Tau, Vietnam.
Luke is a local Boise, Idaho boy who began taking chess lessons at the age of 4. Soon after his lessons started, he was confident enough to play in his first local chess tournament, in which he took 1st Place. His dedication and commitment to the game became apparent as he started to compete in National events and win. Soon, Luke was playing many levels above his own grade section and becoming a National Champion in both standard and quick chess.
Luke’s outstanding victories in 2007 enabled him to become the youngest “Class A” player in Idaho history, for which he also holds the #1 title in the State. His recent outstanding performance in adult chess tournaments throughout the country have convinced many that Luke will be one of the strongest chess players ever produced in the United States. His recent victories over two Master-Class players in Las Vegas (see details of the games posted on "Achievements" page) only serve to strengthen his position as one of the greatest junior players in the world.
Luke is also an outstanding academic student, who was the youngest ever (at the age of 8) to be accepted into the prestigious Treasure Valley Math and Science Center in Boise. He scored straight A’s in all of his subjects this past year (Accelerated Algebra, Conceptual Physics, and Introduction to Research). Luke also scored in the top 10% of 3rd-6th grade gifted students in the 2008 Rocky Mountain Talent Search. He was also the highest scoring 3rd grade student overall, which included a 7-state region of the Northwest.
Luke’s additional hobbies include tennis, learning to play the violin, and video games.