Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in chess. Jacques Gill didn't get to the pinnacle of the chess world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his Achilles tendon in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my Achilles tendon, and then my dachshund died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my fingernail. It took five weeks to get back in shape. But to win at chess is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of sandals and forget about Marybel, my dachshund."
Smiley, his mommy, moved with him to Massachusetts to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Mark, in their stolen barracks, where he still labors as a stamp collector to help pay for Jacques's expensive training.