# Josh Waitzkin

> Josh Waitzkin is a chess International Master, two-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands World Champion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, bestselling author of 'The Art of Learning,' performance coach to elite athletes and executives, and founder of The Art of Learning Project. A prodigy who drew with Garry Kasparov at age 11, starred in a Hollywood film about his own chess career, won a martial arts world title on his birthday, became Marcelo Garcia's first-ever black belt, and now consults for the Boston Celtics from a jungle compound in Costa Rica where he trains big-wave foil surfing with Laird Hamilton.

- **Role:** Founder & Principal at Stoke Ventures; Performance Consultant, Boston Celtics
- **Organizations:** Stoke Ventures, The Art of Learning Project, MG In Action, Boston Celtics (consultant)
- **From:** New York City, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Secondary Education, The Dalton School, Philosophy (enrolled), Columbia University
- **Known for:** Chess International Master (IM), Only person in history to win National Primary, Elementary, Junior High, High School, U.S. Cadet, and U.S. Junior Closed chess championships, One of only 2 players (out of 59) to draw with World Champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition at age 11

## Career timeline

- **1976** — Born December 4 in New York City
- **1982** — Discovers chess at age 6 in Washington Square Park, Manhattan
- **1983** — Begins formal chess training with Grandmaster Bruce Pandolfini
- **1986** — Wins National Primary Chess Championship
- **1987** — At age 11, draws with World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in simultaneous exhibition (one of only 2 of 59 players to do so)
- **1989** — Achieves National Master title at age 13
- **1992** — Becomes International Master at age 16
- **1993** — Wins U.S. Junior Chess Championship; Searching for Bobby Fischer film released (starring Max Pomeranc as young Josh, with his cameo at 1:21:52)
- **1994** — Wins U.S. Junior Championship again; places 4th at Under-18 World Championship
- **1995** — Publishes first book, Attacking Chess
- **1997** — Begins Tai Chi Chuan training under Grandmaster William C.C. Chen at age 21
- **1998** — Reaches peak FIDE rating of 2480
- **1999-2000** — Retires from competitive chess; enrolls at Columbia University to study philosophy
- **2002** — Begins BJJ training; wins Bronze at Push Hands World Championship in Taiwan
- **2003** — Wins Gold at World Kuoshu Championships in Brazil
- **2004** — Wins 5 national Tai Chi titles; wins Middleweight World Championship in Tai Chi on his birthday (December 4) in Taiwan - becomes two-time world champion
- **2007** — Publishes The Art of Learning
- **2008** — Founds The Art of Learning Project (nonprofit / JW Foundation)
- **2009** — Co-founds MG In Action BJJ platform with Marcelo Garcia
- **2010** — Marries screenwriter Desiree Cifre at Brooklyn Botanic Garden during cherry blossom season
- **2011** — Becomes Marcelo Garcia's very first BJJ black belt
- **2013+** — Severe back injury forces retirement from competitive BJJ; transitions to performance consulting via Stoke Ventures
- **2016** — Featured in Tim Ferriss's Tools of Titans
- **2018+** — Relocates family to Costa Rica; pursues big-wave foil surfing
- **2022-23** — Begins consulting relationship with Boston Celtics and head coach Joe Mazzulla
- **2023** — Puts Mazzulla through 8-day Cave Process in Costa Rica jungle after playoff loss
- **2024** — Boston Celtics win NBA Championship
- **2025-01** — Appears on Huberman Lab podcast; discloses near-drowning incident during breathwork
- **2025-05** — Officially announced as Boston Celtics performance consultant

## Achievements

- Chess International Master (IM)
- Only person in history to win National Primary, Elementary, Junior High, High School, U.S. Cadet, and U.S. Junior Closed chess championships
- One of only 2 players (out of 59) to draw with World Champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition at age 11
- 13-time U.S. National Champion in Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands
- Two-time Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands World Champion (2004, Taiwan)
- Won world title on his own birthday - December 4, 2004
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt - Marcelo Garcia's first-ever black belt recipient
- Author of bestselling The Art of Learning (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 2007)
- Founder of The Art of Learning Project nonprofit serving schools nationwide
- Performance consultant to the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics
- Subject of the Oscar-nominated film Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
- Featured in Tim Ferriss's Tools of Titans as one of the world's top performers

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Officially announced as performance consultant to the Boston Celtics, working closely with head coach Joe Mazzulla
- **2025-01** — Appeared on Huberman Lab podcast discussing the Art of Learning, foil surfing, near-drowning incident, MIQ framework, and quality as a lifestyle
- **2024-06** — Boston Celtics, whom he consults, won the NBA Championship - the culmination of his partnership with Joe Mazzulla

## Links

- Website: https://www.joshwaitzkin.com
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jwaitzkin

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-waitzkin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26