Josh Friedel
Josh Friedel earned his Grandmaster title after the 2008 U.S. Championship. He learned chess at the early age of 3 and began tournament play at age 6. In 1995, he scored his first tournament victory, winning the New Hampshire State Amateur Championship at age 8.
His first major tournament victory was in 2001 when he won the Pan Am Open. In 2007, Friedel earned the prestigious Samford Scholarship, allowing him to focus on chess full-time for two years.
Josh Friedel was born and raised in New Hampshire. At the age of 19, Friedel moved to the San Francisco Bay area and has now relocated to Milwaukee where serves as an instructor for the Wisconsin Chess Academy.