American homeschooled chess champion — 26-year-old Fabiano Caruana, placed second by losing three fast games to reigning champ Magnus Carlsen on November 29, 2018. The young homeschooler has been playing chess since he was 5 years old and was able to play for many hours because he was homeschooled. His father said that Fabiano read incessantly during that time and was basically self-taught. Now, he trains for competition by playing up to 12 hours per day. He also does yoga, runs with his trainer and pumps iron. He became the youngest grandmaster in America at the age of 14 and wanted to become world champion, which he just missed this year. Of course, there is always next year and the young Brooklyn native knows how to handle the pressure of championship play after 15 grueling games with Carlsen – 12 of which ended in ties. Good luck in 2019, Fabiano! You make us all proud!
