Authors@Google: Josh Waitzkin
Chess champion Josh Waitzkin visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss his book "The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence." This event took place on April 10, 2008, as part of the Authors@Google series.Josh Waitzkin is an 8-time National Chess Champion, 13-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands National Champion, and Two-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands World Champion. In 1993 Paramount Pictures released the film Searching for Bobby Fischer, based on the highly acclaimed book of the same title written by Fred Waitzkin, documenting Josh's journey to winning his first National Championship.
In addition to Josh's intense competitive life, he is a renowned writer and teacher in the fields of learning and performance psychology. Since 1997, Josh has been the spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world, and a spokesperson for the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Over the past several years, Josh has appeared in all media venues from MTV, ESPN, and Today to People, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, The New York Times, Inside Kung Fu, and Kung Fu & Tai Chi Magazine.
The Art of Learning is an autobiographical discussion of the learning process and performance psychology, drawing from Josh's experiences in both chess and the martial arts. Interview by Peter Allen, director of Google University.
Visit http://www.joshwaitzkin.com/ for more information.
Susan Polgar: My Brilliant Brain - Make Me A Genius
At 38 years old, Susan Polgar has reached heights that few women have ever equalled in the chess world. Despite the common assumption that men’s brains are better at understanding spatial relationships, giving them an advantage in games such as chess, Susan went on to become the world’s first grandmaster. Susan’s remarkable abilities have earned her the label of ‘genius’, but her psychologist father, László Polgar, believed that genius was “not born, but made”. Noting that even Mozart received tutelage from his father at a very early age, Polgar set about teaching chess to the five-year-old Susan after she happened upon a chess set in their home. “My father believed that the potential of children was not used optimally,” says Susan.