Shawn Jiang

Age: 15 (October 19, 2005)

School: Grade 10 Student at Westwood Community High School for School Year 2020/2021

Future Goal: To reach a 2000 rating in the CFC (Chess Federation of Canada)

Written by Neel Patel, MACOY

Shawn Jiang is a member of YouthComputing, a Chess player, student and self-proclaimed composer. He has lived in the Wood Buffalo region for ten years.

Engaged in his academics, the arts and his community, Shawn is an active member in the local and provincial chess scene, as a coach and frequent volunteer at previous local chess events but as a frontrunner in many tournaments in Alberta.

“I enjoy composing because it is a way for me to flush my creative ideas into an actual product.” — Shawn Jiang

When he’s not on the chessboard, Shawn is composing solo works for piano.

In 2020, he placed first in the Alberta Piano Teachers Association student composition competition under the senior category with his piece, “Calm Waves.”

He also received first place in the 2018 Alberta Provincial Music Festival for composition 13 and under for his piece “Northern Lights.”

“I enjoy composing because it is a way for me to flush my creative ideas into an actual product. It is incredibly rewarding to see a small motif expand into a fully-fledged piece, and even more so when I’m able to share it with others,” Shawn said.

Recently, he dedicated more time towards chess which saw him take home first place at the 2021 Alberta Chess Challenge, an annual provincial tournament that determines the roster of the Alberta Youth team.

“The past year was a great opportunity for me to test my potential in chess. Just having that abundance of time to commit myself has been really vital towards my progress as a chess player.”

About the author

YMM Parent Team

YMM Parent Team is a collaboration of authors and contributors from in and around Fort McMurray.