By Victoria Espinoza
It’s check and mate for one Lloyd Harbor 6-year-old.
Sebastian Prestia beat 30 of the highest ranked chess players his age and under last month, at the ChessKid Online National Invitational Championship, to make him the No. 1 ranked 6-year-old chess player in the nation. He was also the youngest child competing at that tournament.
“It feels great to work hard and then win the national championship by beating the really good players,” Sebastian said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Being on top is not exactly different for Sebastian. He was also the No. 1 chess player when he was 5 years old.
“After about six months of watching his brothers, Sebastian wanted his own trophies,” she said. “Now, he has the largest trophies in the home!”
He said he really enjoys solving puzzles and engaging skilled players, where whoever solves the puzzle better and faster, wins.
“It makes me feel good,” Sebastian said of whenever he can best another player.
Rosanna Prestia, Sebastian’s mother, said her youngest son has been watching his brothers and dad play chess for years, which made him want to compete on his own.
“After about six months of watching his brothers, Sebastian wanted his own trophies,” she said. “Now, he has the largest trophies in the home!”
Brothers Paris and Frankie certainly share the talent for competitive chess, with Frankie set as the best 7-year-old chess player in New York last year, and Paris is ranked in the top 30 nationally for 10-year-olds.
Together, the brothers set a New York State Scholastic Chess Championship record by taking home top five finishes from each respective grade. Sebastian placed second in first grade, Frankie came in fifth in third grade, and Paris earned a third-place finish among fourth-graders. Prestia said it’s even more impressive because two of the boys were born later in the year — so they are usually the youngest kids competing at their levels.
And although all are champions in their own right, Prestia said she and her husband never let the boys compete against each other in tournaments.
“We want to maintain a harmony between the boys,” she said.
Prestia said Sebastian practices daily with different puzzles and brain games and only started playing chess two years ago. “He has a lot of talent, but he also puts in a ton of hard work,” she said, adding that Sebastian doesn’t like being called a prodigy because chess requires a lot of practice, and he works hard to improve and stay on top.
Now he is preparing to represent America at the 2017 World Cadet Chess Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next August — although his brothers expressed some concerns of running into any mosquitos while there.
Aside from chess, Sebastian said he enjoys playing the piano and other sports with his brothers including tennis, baseball, badminton and swimming.
