08/19/2026
GM Brewington Hardaway headlines a simultaneously exhibition at our Elite Training Camp hosted in Times Square, NYC.
Early in his chess career Brewington Hardaway was one of our most dedicated campers, spending his summers honing his skills at our Elite Camp. He is now back, as a world class player, motivating the next generation of aspiring NYC chess masters.
Brewington Hardaway is one of the leading young American chess players and a particularly notable product of New York City scholastic chess.
Born April 22, 2009, in the Bronx, Hardaway learned chess as a young child after watching his older sister participate in her school chess club. His talent emerged quickly: he won the New York K–1 championship at age five and became a US Chess National Master at only 10.
His progression through the international titles was exceptionally fast. He completed the requirements for International Master in 2023, simultaneously earning his first GM norm at the U.S. Masters. He earned his final GM norm at the 2024 Sants Open in Barcelona, scoring an undefeated 7.5/10, and later crossed the required 2500 FIDE rating threshold in November 2024.
That achievement made Hardaway the second African-American Grandmaster in history, after Maurice Ashley, and the first U.S.-born African-American Grandmaster.
Now 17, he’s already established himself among America’s strongest young players. He finished with 6/9 at the 2025 U.S. Junior Championship, and in June 2026 was again selected as a Samford Chess Fellow, one of the premier distinctions for promising American chess players.
