The little eight-year-old chess player Nathan Booncharoen represented the Holy See Mission in a chess tournament at the UN against world champion Anatoly Karpov, states a press release of the Mission.
The simultaneous tournament was organized on April 6,2017, at the UN in New York by the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation at the UN, UNA Russia and WFUNA, in commemoration of the International Sports Day for Development and Peace.
Nathan, the youngest player of the tournament, was ahead of 12 of 15 of Karpov’s adversaries, among them diplomats and staff of the United Nations. Nathan confided that the chess game with Karpov was a consolation prize for him and that he was able to get an autograph of his hero.
Nathan is the son of Aikalak Booncharoen, staff member of the Holy See Mission for 20 years, where he was porter and chauffeur. The family is of Thai origin.
