10-Year-Old Kyan Washington Takes On The Legendary GZA In A Chess Game And Comes Out Victorious

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RZA of Wu-Tang Clan reminded AfroTech that Old Dirty Bastard once said, “Wu-Tang is for the kids.”

Well, fellow band member – GZA – lived that phrase out in a recent appearance before a performance at Nashville’s City Winery.

An Invitation To Play

Slated to perform later that evening, the Hip-Hop legend invited anyone bold enough to step up and play him in a chess game. To add a little more intrigue to the invitation, willing participants would engage in speed chess, sometimes referred to as blitz chess.

As a self-proclaimed chess enthusiast, the interest in the game or playing against others on a competitive level should come as no real surprise. In fact, GZA and RZA were a part of a charity chess tournament where they competed against grandmaster Maurice Ashley and streamers IAmBrandon and Nate Hill.

A Tale Of Two Winners

Using the popular Tennessee bar Wedgewood-Houston and fine-dining establishment Bastion to show off his chess skills, GZA took on opponents who were willing to go toe-to-toe. The surprise opponent for the night was ten-year-old Kyan Washington, a student at Nashville Chess Center.

According to Nashville Scene, Washington has competed in chess tournaments for the last three years. With a few years of experience under his belt, Washington stood up to take on GZA.

With photography taken by local artist Ray Di Pietro, he asked the emerging pre-teen, “When you stood up, was that the moment when you knew you were going to win the match?”

Washington simply responded, “Yes!”

With his mother by his side, Washington was able to win two games against the legendary New York rapper. Although GZA won most of the matches played between the two, Bonita Washington (Kyan Washington’s mother) confirmed that when the ten-year-old stands up, that signifies he’s in beast mode.

Shout out to young Kyan Washington for taking on a legend and coming out victorious.