 Bonin got interested in chess at the age of 14 while attending Andres Hudde Junior High School but did not actively pursue chess until the age of 17 when he watched the televised World Chess Championship match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1972.Bonin got hooked on chess and started frequenting the local chess clubs such as Times Square’s Chess and Checker Club of New York (known as "The Flea House" due to the fact that there was once a Flea Circus upstairs).He also visited The Chess House and played in Washington Square Park.