Kammala wannan jumla: Seirawan ya fara wasan chess yana da shekara 12; yana da shekara 13, ya zama zakaran zakarun Washington. A 19, ya lashe gasar zakarun duniya na matasa. Ya kuma lashe wasa da Viktor Korchnoi, wanda shekaru biyu da suka gabata ya yi rashin nasara a wasan da ya yi a gasar zakarun duniya. Viktor ya burge shi, sai ya gayyaci Seirawan zuwa Switzerland, inda Korchnoi ke horar da shi
1981 wasan cin kofin duniya da Anatoly Karpov.