Introduced to chess at the age of 3, Ward 7 teen now holds national ranking

People look at Zahir Muhammad and automatically assume he plays sports. At 6 feet 3 inches, he towers over most of his peers at DeMatha Catholic High School. But the 16-year old’s sport of choice isn’t basketball or football: it’s chess.

The DC Council recently presented him with a ceremonial resolution honoring his victory in the District of Columbia Scholastic Cup Chess Tournament earlier this year — a competition for which only about 50 DC students qualify.

Muhammad, a resident of Ward 7, began playing chess at age 3. His father, Rory Muhammad, started teaching Zahir chess as a way to improve brain function and to fight oppressive stereotypes surrounding African-American children.

“The goal is to get all my children to think through challenges,” Rory Muhammad said.

Zahir didn’t need much coaxing. Chess came naturally for him, and he took off at full speed — practicing at all hours, challenging his father and quickly defeating his peers at free matches in the local library. For Rory, he drew satisfaction not from watching his son win, but from seeing that he loved the game.

“Before being good, you have to have the desire,” Rory said. “The willingness to put in the effort. After about five or six losses, he would get very upset — it meant something to him.”

Zahir doesn’t remember all of the times he’s won, but he certainly remembers the biggest losses. In 2015, he lost in the second-to-last round of the National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championships — a moment that sticks with him. “I knew I couldn’t lose again,” Zahir said.

Zahir competed for three years in a row at the championships. After having barely missed out on a victory in the 2014 and 2015 competitions, he came to the 2016 competition fully prepared.

“I practiced for about seven hours a day,” Zahir said. Rising at 5 a.m. to practice chess isn’t something every ninth-grader has on their agenda, but he was determined. He used his downtime at school to practice — playing matches against his friends during his free period and on his lunch break — and then came home from school to finish homework before completing another two hours of practice.

At the 2016 tournament held in Nashville, Tenn., Zahir was playing like a pro. Chess tournaments are played in seven rounds. His goal was to be listed among the top 10 players at the end of the seventh round. His last match took four hours.

“In 2016, both me and the team had been ranked marginally well,” Zahir said. “So I won the sixth round, and then the seventh round, and was ranked top 10 in the nation.”

He followed that up in 2017 with a No. 35 ranking. He said recently he wasn’t sure yet whether he would be competing in next month’s National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championships in Orlando, Fla.

Perfecting the art of chess isn’t always about memorizing plays, according to David Bennett, Zahir’s coach of one year and a certified chess master.

“His intuition is really strong,” Bennett said. “He doesn’t focus on rogue memorization because he has an ability to outmaneuver his opponents and has a lot of grit.” During tournament play, his coach said, Zahir uses different moves in every game — a notable feat for a high school student.

Chess is traditionally a sport dominated by white males. As an African-American, Zahir is breaking that stereotype. His former team, Bravo Zulu Chess, was made up of students from three different schools, most of whom were minority males.

“There were only three females and 20 males on the team,” Zahir said. “One thing I wish to see more of is I want to get more people that look like me playing.”

As a game of strategy, chess teaches critical thinking skills — as well as how to deal with defeat and how to maintain a “poker face” under pressure. Zahir’s father also wanted his son to learn an important lesson.

“I tell all my kids: ‘Use your brain, it will last longer,’” said Rory, who understands the power of a strong mind as the director and Title IX coordinator for George Washington University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement. “I strongly discourage a culture that only encourages black children to use athletics to be successful. Your brain is what will sustain you long after you can’t run or jump or shoot anymore.”

Zahir said he does indeed play sports — both track and basketball, in fact. He thinks he would probably focus more energy on track if chess wasn’t in his life. But it’s obvious from the excitement in his voice as he discusses the different ways chess has impacted his life that it’s truly his passion.

“So much relates to life,” Zahir said. “How to bounce back from losses, not get too high when victorious, interpersonal relations, how to deal with different people.”

Introduced by Ward 7 DC Council member Vincent Gray and approved in September, the DC Council’s appropriately named Zahir Muhammad Recognition Resolution of 2018 recognizes Zahir for not only his chess skills, but for “his exceptional achievements” as a student and citizen. Gray presented a framed copy of the resolution to Zahir and his family at the Oct. 2 legislative session.

“He’s left an indelible impression on so many of us because of his work,” Gray said. “He’s a very intelligent young man, as you might imagine, and he’s a leader. … He recognizes that chess involves strategy, and it’s also a wonderful metaphor for life.”

Zahir told The DC Line that he hopes to continue playing chess throughout his life and one day start his own team.

“I’m thinking of majoring in chemical engineering and maybe going into business or something,” he said. “My advice for others is to remember that in anything you do, there will be times you don’t want to do it. You have to remember why you do what you do.”