[1] In 1999, Kritz won the U16 section of the World Youth Chess Championship.

[5] In September 2008, Kritz tied for first in the 2nd SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) Cup with Pentala Harikrishna, Alexander Onischuk, and Varuzhan Akobian.

[1] Kritz studied mathematics and finance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he was the captain of the chess team.

[1][7] In December 2009, the team dominated the field in a clear first place at the Pan-American Championships in South Padre Island, Texas.

[8] He later got a master's degree in finance from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he also played on their chess team.