During his first year, Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname 'Kinky' because of his curly hair. He took part in the Plan II Honors program and was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. He went on and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in Psychology. Reshevsky won all 50 games, but Friedman was, by far, the youngest competitor.įriedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas in 1962. grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous games in Houston.
įriedman had an early interest in both pop music and chess, and was chosen at age seven as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. When Friedman was young, his family moved to a ranch in Kerrville, Texas in Texas Hill Country and opened a summer camp called Echo Hill. Both of his parents were the children of Russian Jewish immigrants. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. He was born as Richard Samet Friedman in Chicago in 1944 to Jewish parents, Dr. 6 Other work and references in popular culture.
