An 11-year-old Coppell student is currently ranked the No. 1 chess player in the country for his age.

Jeffery Xiong, a sixth grader at Coppell Middle School North, first picked up chess pieces when he was four years old, and now he can rival players at the University of Texas at Dallas.

"He's a fighter, and he never gives up," said Babakuli Annakov who is a grandmaster and Jeffery's coach. "He has the obvious chess talent, he has the time, and he loves the game."

Annakov said that Jeffery has enough talent to eventually become one of the best in the world. Last December, he earned a four-year scholarship to UTD at a chess tournament.

Jeffrey loves the game because it challenges his mind and allows him to be creative when he is thinking about strategy. He plays almost everyday, practicing for about two hours on school days and five hours on days he does not have class. He even plays online.

Finding a worthy opponent to play a game can be challenging since Jeffery is able to beat players much older than himself, including his parents.

Jeffery's goal is to become a grandmaster — the highest chess title a player can receive — by the age of 20. He plans on pursuing a career that uses math, such as banking or engineering, when he's older.

But for now, Jeffery will keep participating in tournaments, mastering his skills and enjoying the game because, you know, he's only in middle school.

Click here to find out more about Jeffery.