Brewington Hardaway is the first US-born African-American Grandmaster
Brewington Hardaway is an American chess prodigy born on April 22, 2009, to a Japanese mother and an African-American father. He began learning chess at the age of four by observing his older sister during chess club sessions at their school.
25 years after GM Maurice Ashley became the first African American Grandmaster, GM-elect Brewington Hardaway has managed to achieve that too – Hardaway crossed the 2500-rating requirement by winning his game in round four of the NY Fall Invitational GM A.
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At the age of 10, Brewington became the youngest African-American player to earn the USCF National Master title. In January 2023 he earned his first IM norm at the NY City Winter IM Norm Invitational. In February he secured his second IM norm by winning the Marshall Chess Club Winter IM Invitational. In June of the same year, Brewington achieved his final IM norm at the World Open with a score of 6/9, including a win against GM Illya Nyzhnyk.
Brewington Hardaway began his quest for the GM title at the U.S. Masters Chess Championship in November 2023, he fulfilled the rating requirement for the IM title and also earned his first GM norm. Brewington earned his final GM norm at the Ciutat de Barcelona International Chess Open, with his FIDE rating reaching 2489, needing just 11 more points to officially become a Grandmaster. These points he achieved at the NY Fall Invitational GM A this month of November.