Max Deutsch is a self-described speed learner. And he recently gave himself one month to learn to play chess … well enough to take on the world champion. “The unlikely series of events that brought him to this stage began last year, when Max challenged himself to a series of monthly tasks that were ambitious bordering on absurd. He memorized the order of a shuffled deck of cards. He sketched an eerily accurate self-portrait. He solved a Rubik’s cube in 17 seconds. He developed perfect musical pitch and landed a standing back-flip. He studied enough Hebrew to discuss the future of technology for a half-hour.” Did Max beat the world champion? That’s the wrong question. It’s about the journey. From Ben Cohen in WSJ: A Chess Novice Challenged Magnus Carlsen. He Had One Month to Train. (I once gave myself a month to update the contacts in my address book. That was in 1999, and it’s still a work in progress.)