th - century ▁ch ess ▁players <0x0A> </s> ▁Ken ▁Li u ▁( born ▁ 1 9 7 6 ) ▁is ▁an ▁multiple ▁Hugo ▁Award ▁winning ▁American ▁author ▁of ▁science - f iction ▁and ▁fant asy , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁a ▁transl ator , ▁lawyer , ▁and ▁computer ▁programmer . ▁ ▁His ▁ep ic ▁fant asy ▁series ▁The ▁D and el ion ▁D ynast y , ▁the ▁first ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁" sil k p unk " ▁genre , ▁is ▁published ▁by ▁Simon ▁& ▁Sch uster . ▁His ▁short ▁stories ▁have ▁appeared ▁in ▁F & SF , ▁As im ov ' s , ▁Anal og , ▁L ights pe ed , ▁Clark es world , ▁and ▁multiple ▁" Year ' s ▁Best " ▁anth ologies . ▁ ▁Child hood ▁and ▁career ▁Li u ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 6 ▁in ▁L anz hou , ▁China . ▁He ▁spent ▁his ▁child hood ▁with ▁his ▁grand par ents . ▁His ▁mother , ▁who ▁received ▁her ▁Ph . D . ▁in ▁Chem istry ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁is ▁a ▁ph arma ce ut ical ▁chem ist , ▁while ▁his ▁father ▁is ▁a ▁computer ▁engineer . ▁The ▁family ▁em igr ated ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁when ▁Li u ▁was ▁ 1 1 ▁years ▁old . ▁They ▁lived ▁in ▁California ▁and ▁St on ington ▁before ▁sett ling ▁in ▁Water ford . ▁Li u ▁graduated ▁from ▁Water ford ▁High ▁School ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 4 , ▁where ▁he ▁ran ▁cross - country ▁and ▁track . ▁At