Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Grant shares the story of the Raging Rooks, a middle school chess team from Harlem, New York, who competed in the 1991 National Junior High Chess Championships. The team comprised eight students from JHS 43, a public school in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Unlike their opponents from elite schools with extensive resources and training, the Raging Rooks were relatively inexperienced and came from challenging backgrounds. Their coach, Maurice Ashley, a young chess master and an immigrant from Jamaica, was determined to challenge the stereotype that children from such backgrounds could not excel academically or intellectually. Maurice believed in the principle that talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not.

Despite their inexperience, the Rooks started strong, defeating higher-ranked opponents and advancing to the semifinals, where they briefly held third place out of 63 teams. However, they struggled in the penultimate round, dropping to fifth place. Maurice reminded his team to focus on what they could control: their decisions and efforts. Against expectations, the Raging Rooks secured key victories, allowing them to tie for first place.

Grant explains how this anecdote relates to the book’s argument of how success can be achieved through hard work and belief, defying conventional patterns of unequal opportunity and previous success.