December 16th, 2010, Joshua Colas became the youngest African American Chess Master in history. The previous record was held by Justus Williams.

Colas was just 12 years old at the time.

To achieve the title of Chess Master you must reach the 2200 ratings point mark in the USCF, United States Chess Federation.

I’m a chess player and am rated in the 1600s on my best day. This mark of 2200 for a 12 year old is remarkable, actually anyone, in my opinion.

Colas says his game got better when he began really studying his chess openings. He started to earn more and more rating points.

Colas played 4 rated games at the Marshall Chess Club on dec 16 to put him over the mark. He received a National Master certification from USCF for the achievement.

According to his website, Colas has remained busy in the world of chess:

Joshua won the prestigious 2013 New York City High School Chess Championships and the 2013 New York State High School Chess Championships.  He accomplished both feats while only being a high school freshman.

Congrats to Josh on recently winning the 2015 New York State High School Championships in Saratoga!

SOUND OFF: What do you think  of this chess phenom?

Source: JoshuaColas.com