Steven Zierk is an American chess grandmaster. He was born in California on June 27, 1991, and earned both the International Master and Grandmaster titles from the World Chess Federation.
Zierk first gained national recognition for his chess prowess at the age of 6, finishing first in his age division at the National Championship. He went on to dominate major tournaments in the U.S., including the National K-12 Championship and the U.S. Junior Closed Championship.
In adulthood, Zierk continued to excel at chess internationally. His major wins include both the 2010 Under-18 World Youth Chess Championship and the 2010 North American Open. He also achieved the three norms required for the Grandmaster title in a relatively short span. His first norm came at the 2010 World Junior College Championship and the following two at the 2010 and 2011 Berkeley International tournaments.
Outside of competitions, Zierk is a renowned author of chess books. Despite his focus on playing chess professionally, he found time to write his acclaimed book, "Balancing Chess," combating any preconceived notions that chess players are not scholars.