Utah chess prodigy wins world title, shares his Mormon beliefs

"We always said, 'If you work hard, then you have all possibilities. There's nothing you can't do if you're willing to put the work into it,'" she said. The couple also taught their kids to celebrate every good thing.

"As a family, we work together and we celebrate together and we do both really, really well," Kim Troff said.

To become the top player in the world, Kayden knows he has a lot of work yet to do. He said he's willing to do it. Matches at his level, Kayden said, can last four or five hours, and spending 30 minutes figuring out one move isn't uncommon, but he likes the challenge.

"A lot of people think (chess) is so long and boring sometimes," he said. "But it is always changing, you never play the same game twice. It offers something new all the time."

He doesn't think he'll ever tire of the game. Ever.

"Kayden continues to amaze me and I live with him and know him pretty well," said his father, Dan Troff. "It's been a fun ride and it just seems to get better as he works harder at what he loves."

Kayden is gearing up for a big prize money tournament in Las Vegas on Dec. 26, but he isn't going for the payout. He said the more experience the better, and he needs it if he's on his way to a 2,400 rating, to become an International Master of chess.

E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com

Twitter: wendyleonards