SPRINGDALE TOWNSHIP -- The Lelises' move from Harmar to Springdale Township 3 1/2 years ago stirred a curiosity in their oldest child, Tyler, that since has blossomed into a life-changing pursuit.
Tyler Lelis, just 12 years old, is one of the best chess players among his peers in the country.
Tyler, a mild-mannered, well-spoken sixth-grader being home schooled by his mother, Christina, punctuated his presence on the national stage by tying for first in the National Elementary Chess Championship last weekend at the convention center in Pittsburgh.
"It was an amazing experience. It was really interesting," Tyler said. "I knew I could do well, and maybe win, too."
Tyler wasn't introduced to the game until his father, Greg, unearthed an old chess set while packing the family's belongings for the move.
"Within a week, he was beating me," Greg said. "I thought, 'Oh, I just stink.' Then he beat his uncle and another uncle, and I'm like, 'Wow, he's got some talent.' "
Tyler didn't always win. After joining the Pittsburgh Chess Club, he lost -- a lot.
But his resiliency won out.
"He's just absolutely amazing," said Clyde Kapinos, vice president of the Pittsburgh Chess Club. "Of all the people that I've taught -- I've been playing tournament chess for over 40 years and teach in various schools -- he has the best attitude and sense of purpose that I think I've ever seen in a child that age."
Tyler regularly defeats players at the expert and master levels, despite playing just once a week. A master chess player ranks in the top 1 percent of all players nationwide.
He also excels in athletics. He holds the state long jump record for children ages 8 and under, a mark set during a USA Track and Field Association-sponsored meet in 1999. And he is enrolled in an advanced curriculum.
Unlike his competition at the national tournament last weekend, Tyler has received no formal chess training. He essentially has taught himself, often reading books to improve his skills. Tyler is a Class A player, one level below expert and two below master.
He currently holds a rating of 1973, ranking him fourth in the country and first in the state among 12-year-olds.
"Normally when you have a junior player, take their age and multiply it by 100. That's the (ranking) you expect," said Boyd Reed, president of the Pittsburgh Chess Club. "When you add 400 (points), you're talking about a pretty strong junior player.
"With Tyler, you add 700."
If Tyler reaches a 2000 rating by July, he would qualify for the Pressman All-America Team, a fraternity of elite chess players. Members of that team are selected and sponsored by the U.S. Chess Federation to play in Europe and Asia.
For now, Tyler will settle for being "part of the club," as fellow national first-place winner Marc Tyler Arnold told him afterward.
"He's one of those few kids who really has a chance to become an exceptionally strong master because of the way he's improved already at this age," Reed said. "If he can work with someone who can teach him some of the things to progress, I don't know there is really a cap on his potential."
