Aler Krishnan helped teach her son Varun how to play chess because she wanted him to have the same fond memories that she had growing up of playing the game with family. She did not expect her son to become better at the game than she and her husband by the time he was seven years old. The Bishop’s School eighth-grader, who plays online every day and regularly at the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park, was recently named a Life Master by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). To receive such a title, a player must have played 300 USCF-rated tournament games with a rating of more than 2200. The 13-year-old said he began to realize he was good at the game when he started to beat his parents and win tournaments. His love of video games and math became natural complements of each other, and he said it was the “calculations, tactics and strategy” that ultimately attracted him to chess. “It is fun to come up with winning combinations,” he said. Krishnan has a number of chess accolades under his belt. He won the American Open U2200 section last November and tied for second place in the International Master qualifier tournament in February. He has been selected to represent the U.S. team twice in the World Youth Chess Championships in Turkey and earned the Expert (Candidate Master) rating from the chess federation in 2008. When asked what tips he could offer to chess novices, Krishnan wisely quotes his coaches. “Be patient and work hard,” he said. “Chess is a video game with some thinking.” As accomplished as he is in the chess world, the game is still just that to Krishnan — a game. He would like to be an entrepreneur or a researcher some day, while still playing chess for fun. And though his success has only motivated him to “achieve more,” he said he is still sometimes reminded that he is only human. “Chess is a black and white game,” he said. “Everybody wins and loses and I am no exception.”