15-year old Jessica Hyatt, of Brooklyn, New York, was recently awarded the Daniel Feinberg Success in Chess Award which comes with a $40,000 scholarship, and she is on the verge of becoming the first black female chess master.
Jessica currently has a ranking of 1950 and a ranking of 2200 is required to become a chess master.
Jessica started playing chess when she was 10-years old, and her coaches Tyrell Harriott and David Mbonu marvel at her talent. Both Tyrell and Mbonu are chess masters.
Coach Tyrell said he started playing chess at 15 so Jessica has a “huge edge” on the competition.
I learned the game when I was 15, so for Jessica to be at 1,950, that’s a huge edge.
Coach David expressed his admiration for Jessica being on the verge of becoming the first black female chess master.
There has never been a female Black player to break the master ranking and that’s what Jessica is going for.
Jessica says she plays chess five to seven hours a day, sometimes even during her classes.
I play whenever I get the chance, like in my free time, like during my classes, like sometimes during classes.
Jessica is a sophomore at Success Academy, a school known for its elite chess program, and Jessica’s mother, Loy Allen, is very encouraging of her daughter’s passion.
If your kid’s passionate enough about it, have them go for it because the sky’s the limit, right?
See the video from CBS New York below about Jessica’s chess master pursuit:
It’s only a matter of time before Jessica Hyatt makes history, early congratulations Black Queen!
Source: Black Enterprise
