13 year old shined at 2011 SPGI

Chess champ captures honors

Posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 10:00 am

By CAMERON RASMUSSON Staff writer

Bonner County Daily Bee

SANDPOINT — Savanna Naccarato’s chess skills have been making waves in the Northwest, but now her reputation is spreading across the nation.

The 13-year-old Sandpoint resident placed ninth in the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls Invitational, a national chess tournament held at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, from July 24-29. Chess masters said Savanna performed remarkably for an eighth-grader at her first national tournament, defeating older, more experienced players and ending with four wins against two losses.

For Savanna’s father Chris, who got her started on chess a few years ago, the national tournament is simply another step toward her goal of becoming Idaho’s first female grandmaster.

“For her first national tournament, she’s done an incredible job,” he said. “I’m really proud of her.”

Savanna earned her invitation by tying for first place with two other players in the Idaho Scholastic Girls Championship in Boise.

Although she qualified for the national event, a few significant challenges stood between her and Texas.

First, the system most frequently used to calculate Savanna’s player rating differed from the tournament standard. In a competitive system where defeating a higher-rated player is more advantageous, point discrepancies can pose a serious problem. Fortunately, tournament organizers converted her established rating to a 1600, placing her squarely in the middle of a pack featuring ratings as high as 1967.

Travel expenses were a more significant problem. However, the community stepped up to the task. Businesses, friends, family and organizations like the Spokane Chess Club, the Idaho Chess Association, the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club stepped up to finance the trip. The Naccaratos also staged a yard sale that generated $800 in both transactions and donations.

“Even though the trip was really expensive, it was also really worth it,” Naccarato said.

Indeed, the tournament provided an unparalleled learning experience. When she wasn’t in competition, Savanna spent her free time training with her fellow participants. She also attended workshops where chess masters detailed advanced strategies, positioning concepts and tactics.

“They brought up points of the game I didn’t even know existed,” Savanna said.

Luckily, her prior training with Washington chess master John Graves paid off when it counted. Savanna blasted through her first and second opponents during the competition.

More here.

Whatley Sets Benchmark With Solid Performance

Whatley Sets Benchmark With Solid Performance At National Chess Match

Web posted August 8, 2011



Lubbock, Texas - Using peanut M&M’s for currency, Tori Whatley, of Merriwether, hosted a blackjack party in her dorm room at Stangel Hall on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It didn’t take long for Helen Vaughn of New Mexico, and Utah’s Elisabeth Gondolo, to “shake down” Isabel James of Washington, D.C. and their new friend from South Carolina. Tori didn’t mind much though. It was just fun being surrounded by new friends…new friends that would play a role in her real purpose for being there.



Her goal was to have her best finish ever at the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational Chess Tournament. Representing South Carolina for the third time, Strom Thurmond High School sophomore, Tori Whatley, realized that goal and set a new benchmark for S.C. Girl’s Chess. In her best Polgar performance to date, the 15 year-old posted 3 wins in the main event finishing 25th in a field of 46 girls, which for the first time, included international players from Brazil and Venezuela.



The Polgar camp and tournament, which took place July 24th through July 29th, were the culmination of a series of national and state competitions with over 3000 girls trying to qualify for one of the coveted seats at the most prestigious national girls chess event in the country. Tori punched her ticket to the tournament by being the highest scoring female in the high school section of the South Carolina Scholastic Chess Championships back in March.



During the first three days, the camp focused on intensive training. In all, the girls received fifteen hours of instruction by FIDE Master Paul Truong (2004 Coach and business manager for the 36th Chess Olympiad U.S. Women’s Team) and from Grandmaster Polgar herself. There were “warm up” events for the players during the first three days as well. Tori participated in a Puzzle-Solving Championship completing almost 13 difficult puzzles in 30 minutes. The Championship Blitz Tournament started slow for the Palmetto State Champion who lost the first two rounds.



Then she mounted back-to-back wins in the next three rounds for a scorching 9th place finish! South Carolina Chess Association president, David Grimaud and his wife, Maureen were present during the first three days providing encouragement for their state representative and snacks for the entire group. Susan acknowledged their support and thanked them for their generosity. The remaining three days were over-the-board competition between the girls. Mr. Frank Niro III, a former Executive Director of the U.S. Chess Federation, competently managed the tournament. Martha Underwood, the Chairperson for the Susan Polgar Girl’s Invitational, served as assistant tournament director



In the first round, Tori faced a tough Texan named Clarissa Abella, who played the white pieces. They battled for 43 moves in an interesting Reti Opening. Tori put up a good fight against this much stronger opponent, but in the endgame, Clarissa was able to create a passed pawn, which she eventually promoted to a queen, dooming the S.C. Champ.



The second round would find Tori playing black, seated across from her blackjack nemesis Helen Vaughn. This King Pawn’s Opening would go for 45 moves with Tori avenging her M&M shake down at the tournament table.



Tori faced Vanita Young, of Pennsylvania, in the third round. This young lady had triumphed over 600 girls from her state to attend this event and almost didn’t make the trip due to financial constraints. U.S. Congressman Bob Brady took the reigns and made the arrangements complete. Although a rook up at one point, time trouble plagued Tori during the endgame. A blunder later, the quiet girl from Philadelphia seized control and methodically brought Tori to checkmate.



Tori’s fourth round opponent, Dyhemia Young of California took a more unconventional route to the Polgar. This Bay-area foster teen was a “wild card” invitee and her trek to the event was a Fox Network national news story. Like Vanita, she almost didn’t make the show, but FedEx covered the cost of the plane tickets while Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith provided the remainder of the funds necessary for her to compete. Tori played the black pieces against Dyhemia and controlled the game until its conclusion with the young lady from the Golden State resigning on her 41st move.



An old foe from the 2010 Polgar faced Tori in the fifth round. Louisiana’s Amelia Wyzywany totally dominated their meeting last year, but this time she was playing with a touch of the flu. The game turned into a 42-move battle in which the stronger Louisianan, despite being ill, prevailed. Tori was inspired by Amelia’s courage and spirit of competition.



Squaring off in the final round, Wisconsin’s Ananya Murali played white against Tori. This game was so important to both girls who were tied at two games each. A ferocious battle would ensue in which each player refused to give an inch. Approaching their time limits, both abandoned notating their moves around move 69. The players quickly pounded out moves and hit their clock. Tori had the upper hand while Ananya battled fiercely for a draw. Ultimately, Tori defeated her worthy opponent.



David Whatley, who serves as coach for the Merriwether Mavericks Scholastic Chess Club and as the S.C. Scholastic Chess Coordinator, accompanied Tori on the trip. On the 4th and 5th day, he played in a USCF-rated Parents and Friends tournament achieving two victories and improving his rating. He spoke concerning his daughter’s representation of our state and of the event itself, “Tori, as well as every girl there, represented their states with distinction. I was proud that she achieved a personal milestone, but the event itself is a celebration of milestones. Grandmaster Polgar has paved the way for any girl who wants to become World Champion to have the right to do so. Look into Susan’s story, and you’ll find that was impossible just twenty-six years ago”.



The Whatley’s received state and local support to attend the tournament and wished to thank the South Carolina Chess Association, GrayKnight Computing of Grovetown, Maner Builder’s Supply in Martinez, Whatley Construction of North Augusta, B & D Industrial in Augusta, and Barne’s Used Cars of Belvedere, as well as, Mr. Jim Garrett with SEW Eurodrive in Lyman, S.C. A host of individual supporters contributed directly or by purchasing Papa John’s pizza coupons. In one such incident, Tori’s former middle school principal called her to let her know that an Edgefield gentleman had dropped off a $100 donation at her old school after reading her story in the local press. These acts of kindness and support are touching, and encouraging, to the Whatley’s who are determined to growing a solid chess program in our community and state.



Source: http://edgefielddaily.com

The long road to a new move

The long road to a new move

The Virginian-Pilot
© August 7, 2011

By Lisa Suhay

The story of the Chess Cinderella of Palo Alto, Calif., started here in Norfolk in June during a phone call with an international chess grandmaster in Lubbock, Texas. Susan Polgar and I were talking about the free chess program I run at the Lamberts Point Community Center and how hard it is for many to get a shot at a scholarship.

I was complaining that I never see much diversity in scholarship tournaments, and she decided to put a fully charged magic wand in my hands. She offered to give whatever player I recommended a wild card invitation to the Susan Polgar Girls’ Chess Invitational at Texas Tech. Three girls in the tournament would win $40,000 scholarships to Texas Tech, in addition to two days of instruction from Polgar herself.

Because my players are beginners, I knew the wild card girl should be Dyhemia Young, 15, of Palo Alto. Adisa Banjoko, founder of Hip-Hop Chess Federation, had often told me about her many trials. I was struck by how much of a fighter she was and how, no matter what befell her, chess always pulled her through. It was her life raft in a sea of chaos.

She deserved a chance at a scholarship, so I submitted her name, never realizing what an epic saga was being set in motion.

Dyhemia would prove nearly impossible to locate. She was in foster care. Somewhere. Banjoko put the word out to her friends and teachers. For nearly a month we looked for her, with zero results.

In desperation I began to Google her and found a missing child flyer that led me to San Francisco Police Missing Persons Detective Joseph Carroll. After spilling the story, I prepared for the brush-off. Instead, he said, “I am going to find this girl. She deserves her shot. Let’s make something happen.”

He called 30 minutes later. She was in juvenile hall, being held for running away. Carroll hooked me up with the Department of Social Services, and after hearing the story of our Chess Cinderella, they agreed to help. Dyhemia was moved to a group home in Palo Alto.

Then the city attorney got involved, banning Dyhemia from traveling without a Social Services chaperone. We needed a court order, plus an additional order allowing her to speak to the media so we could raise money for both plane tickets and double room and board.

The orders were obtained. Dyhemia, who had just 72 hours until the start of the tournament, talked to the press, and a story ran on the front page of The Los Angeles Times.

More here.

It was nice to be with just girls

Bits 'n' Pieces: Teen vies in girls’ chess tournament
By Columbian Staff
Friday, August 5, 2011

Playing chess with some of the top-rated young women across the country was a new experience for Heather Young, 15, of Vancouver.

Until recently, she had only played in national tournaments with both boys and girls, said Young, who enters 10th grade at Battle Ground’s CAM High School this fall.

“It was nice to be with just girls,” Young said. “Two years ago, when I played in the state tournament, I was the only girl. But that’s cool because you get to beat the boys. I won first place that year.”

Young recently finished 18th out of 46 players in the 2011 Susan Polgar International Championship for girls, and was the only Oregon or Washington representative in the Lubbock, Texas, tournament.

She also tied for third place in the event’s blitz tournament, earning three wins and two draws, she said. In that timed competition, 33 players had five minutes per side to complete their game.

Young has been playing chess since she was in third grade and is thinking about participating in the 2012 U.S. Open Chess Tournament, which will be held here in Vancouver.

“I like the competition,” Young said. “It works your mind a lot — thinking about strategies and stuff.”

She added that she hopes to see more girls join her in upcoming chess competitions in Washington. “It would make it more competitive,” Young said. “I think girls think about chess in a different way. They strategize more.”

Source: http://www.columbian.com

It was nice to be with just girls

Bits 'n' Pieces: Teen vies in girls’ chess tournament
By Columbian Staff
Friday, August 5, 2011

Playing chess with some of the top-rated young women across the country was a new experience for Heather Young, 15, of Vancouver.

Until recently, she had only played in national tournaments with both boys and girls, said Young, who enters 10th grade at Battle Ground’s CAM High School this fall.

“It was nice to be with just girls,” Young said. “Two years ago, when I played in the state tournament, I was the only girl. But that’s cool because you get to beat the boys. I won first place that year.”

Young recently finished 18th out of 46 players in the 2011 Susan Polgar International Championship for girls, and was the only Oregon or Washington representative in the Lubbock, Texas, tournament.

She also tied for third place in the event’s blitz tournament, earning three wins and two draws, she said. In that timed competition, 33 players had five minutes per side to complete their game.

Young has been playing chess since she was in third grade and is thinking about participating in the 2012 U.S. Open Chess Tournament, which will be held here in Vancouver.

“I like the competition,” Young said. “It works your mind a lot — thinking about strategies and stuff.”

She added that she hopes to see more girls join her in upcoming chess competitions in Washington. “It would make it more competitive,” Young said. “I think girls think about chess in a different way. They strategize more.”

Source: http://www.columbian.com

Checkmating Hardship

SPICE Checkmates Hardship
August 4, 2011

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence Invitational was a life-changing event for two young women.

Written by Melanie Hess

At Texas Tech, chess represents more than a challenging game and checkered board.

For two young women who visited Texas Tech last week to participate in the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) Invitational, it was a life-changing event. Meet Dyhemia Young and Vanita Young.

Dyhemia, age 15, has spent most of her life in the California foster care system. She was selected as a wild-card invitee by Susan Polgar. The SPICE invitational was Dyhemia’s first officially rated tournament. Vanita, a 17-year-old who lost both of her parents by her early teens, currently lives in Pennsylvania with her grandparents. Vanita beat out 600 other young women in her state to win a spot at the Polgar invitational.

But there was one problem. In the few weeks leading up to the invitational, neither girl was in a position to pay for travel expenses.

SPICE and many other generous donors, namely Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, helped sponsor the two young ladies, and at the end of the competition, Dyhemia and Vanita were awarded out-of-state scholarships worth up to $40,000 to attend Texas Tech once they graduate high school.

Dyhemia and Vanita, who are not related, recently shared their experiences of their time at Texas Tech with Texas Tech Today.

Q & A:

How did you feel when you found out you had been invited?

Dyhemia: It’s been really exciting. I was just, wow. That’s all I could say. “Wow! For real? Really?”

Vanita: I was definitely more excited than nervous. Since I was top at state, I had a big head for a while. I thought I could beat anybody, but when weeks turned into days, I got nervous.

How did you feel about the support you received from so many people?

D: When they asked me that question before, I nearly started crying. When I started talking about Susan, I never, ever, ever thought I was going to meet her in person. And then I met her, and now I’m teary-eyed because I’ve been here all week, and now I’m fixing to leave. I have learned so much.

How was your time with Susan Polgar?

D: I’d always heard of her. People spoke very highly of her, and then when I met her when we got off the plane, we talked. She gave me a ride all the way to the dorm and showed me around. She gave me some gifts, and I got so emotional I nearly cried. Well, I did cry. I was so emotional today. I think I cried about four different times for just about ten minutes straight. I’ve really enjoyed my time being here.

Again, I’m speechless. Susan, I think you know I am very thankful and happy to have you in my life. Oh my gosh, I’m going to have tears again, but Susan has done a lot for me while I’ve been here, and I am most definitely going to keep in touch with her when I do leave. I think so highly of her.

V: You would not believe the first time I saw her. I was at middle school nationals in Fort Worth and I was in the elevator with her. I was running late, and I didn’t know who she was at the time. I was in eighth grade. Then later people were talking about her and I asked, “Who’s Susan Polgar?” and they said, “top female,” and they showed me her and I was like, “Wait, I was on the elevator with her!”

What kind of training did you receive last week?

D: My class was kind of like Vanita’s, but she’s a higher level. We mainly focused on puzzle solving and basically making sure you know the main key things when you open, making sure you know your openings and key pieces, making sure each move you do is either to attack, or you’re defending. Then we played against each other in class using the tactics and notations. I had to learn notations. I don’t use them well, but I do know how to notate now.

It was like a 180-degree turn around from when I got here. My first game, it was like I was playing blitz. For real, I got down to the end and had to resign because the girl didn’t want to draw, and I knew I was going to lose. Then my second game was way better. I was down a bishop. I could have won if I had a bishop, but it was a good game. I gave the girl a run for her money. The game I played after that, I won. And the one I just played, I lost. But I had the girl show me the moves that I made that I should have not done. Luckily, she was my friend, so she was able to show me.

V: We had a lot of training this week. They were three-hour classes each, four classes altogether. We did a lot of analyzing, deep analyzing, and imagining things in your head without looking at the board. It was fun.

What was your favorite experience about last week?

D: I finally won a game! Oh, and I have my face on my own chess board. It’s my face on the board, and it says Dyhemia Young Cinderella! It has a list of all the people that helped me get here.

V: Meeting female chess players and working with top chess players. Susan and her husband have been amazing this week. I’ve learned so much from them in thinking steps ahead in my game. You know, when he said the tactic of visualize the pawn? I’d never thought of looking at the board like that, so I definitely learned something new.

What are your plans after high school?

D: Oh yeah. I’m going to college, I am going to college!

At first I didn’t know anything about Texas Tech, so I couldn’t really give an answer of whether I wanted to come here or not, but now I’ve read the brochure and spent some time here. I will always keep Texas Tech in mind, especially since I know I’d be on the same campus as Susan. I know if I needed anything, I could just call her and be like, “Susan, can you please come to my dorm? I need help!”

V: I definitely plan on going to college. I wouldn’t mind going to Texas Tech because I want to be in computer science as a computer engineer, and I want to be part of Susan’s chess team.

Polgar on Dyhemia and Vanita

Polgar said both girls represent hope for many other young women in difficult situations.

Speaking specifically about Dyhemia’s story, Polgar said last week’s experience was not only life changing for Dyhemia, but for many others.

“I think Dyhemia is a very special girl. The way I look at it is that she’s just one of the many Cinderella potentials, and her story can inspire thousands of other girls in difficult situations that they are in. It can become hope and encouragement.”

Source: http://today.ttu.edu

Checkmating Hardship

SPICE Checkmates Hardship
August 4, 2011

The Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence Invitational was a life-changing event for two young women.

Written by Melanie Hess

At Texas Tech, chess represents more than a challenging game and checkered board.

For two young women who visited Texas Tech last week to participate in the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) Invitational, it was a life-changing event. Meet Dyhemia Young and Vanita Young.

Dyhemia, age 15, has spent most of her life in the California foster care system. She was selected as a wild-card invitee by Susan Polgar. The SPICE invitational was Dyhemia’s first officially rated tournament. Vanita, a 17-year-old who lost both of her parents by her early teens, currently lives in Pennsylvania with her grandparents. Vanita beat out 600 other young women in her state to win a spot at the Polgar invitational.

But there was one problem. In the few weeks leading up to the invitational, neither girl was in a position to pay for travel expenses.

SPICE and many other generous donors, namely Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, helped sponsor the two young ladies, and at the end of the competition, Dyhemia and Vanita were awarded out-of-state scholarships worth up to $40,000 to attend Texas Tech once they graduate high school.

Dyhemia and Vanita, who are not related, recently shared their experiences of their time at Texas Tech with Texas Tech Today.

Q & A:

How did you feel when you found out you had been invited?

Dyhemia: It’s been really exciting. I was just, wow. That’s all I could say. “Wow! For real? Really?”

Vanita: I was definitely more excited than nervous. Since I was top at state, I had a big head for a while. I thought I could beat anybody, but when weeks turned into days, I got nervous.

How did you feel about the support you received from so many people?

D: When they asked me that question before, I nearly started crying. When I started talking about Susan, I never, ever, ever thought I was going to meet her in person. And then I met her, and now I’m teary-eyed because I’ve been here all week, and now I’m fixing to leave. I have learned so much.

How was your time with Susan Polgar?

D: I’d always heard of her. People spoke very highly of her, and then when I met her when we got off the plane, we talked. She gave me a ride all the way to the dorm and showed me around. She gave me some gifts, and I got so emotional I nearly cried. Well, I did cry. I was so emotional today. I think I cried about four different times for just about ten minutes straight. I’ve really enjoyed my time being here.

Again, I’m speechless. Susan, I think you know I am very thankful and happy to have you in my life. Oh my gosh, I’m going to have tears again, but Susan has done a lot for me while I’ve been here, and I am most definitely going to keep in touch with her when I do leave. I think so highly of her.

V: You would not believe the first time I saw her. I was at middle school nationals in Fort Worth and I was in the elevator with her. I was running late, and I didn’t know who she was at the time. I was in eighth grade. Then later people were talking about her and I asked, “Who’s Susan Polgar?” and they said, “top female,” and they showed me her and I was like, “Wait, I was on the elevator with her!”

What kind of training did you receive last week?

D: My class was kind of like Vanita’s, but she’s a higher level. We mainly focused on puzzle solving and basically making sure you know the main key things when you open, making sure you know your openings and key pieces, making sure each move you do is either to attack, or you’re defending. Then we played against each other in class using the tactics and notations. I had to learn notations. I don’t use them well, but I do know how to notate now.

It was like a 180-degree turn around from when I got here. My first game, it was like I was playing blitz. For real, I got down to the end and had to resign because the girl didn’t want to draw, and I knew I was going to lose. Then my second game was way better. I was down a bishop. I could have won if I had a bishop, but it was a good game. I gave the girl a run for her money. The game I played after that, I won. And the one I just played, I lost. But I had the girl show me the moves that I made that I should have not done. Luckily, she was my friend, so she was able to show me.

V: We had a lot of training this week. They were three-hour classes each, four classes altogether. We did a lot of analyzing, deep analyzing, and imagining things in your head without looking at the board. It was fun.

What was your favorite experience about last week?

D: I finally won a game! Oh, and I have my face on my own chess board. It’s my face on the board, and it says Dyhemia Young Cinderella! It has a list of all the people that helped me get here.

V: Meeting female chess players and working with top chess players. Susan and her husband have been amazing this week. I’ve learned so much from them in thinking steps ahead in my game. You know, when he said the tactic of visualize the pawn? I’d never thought of looking at the board like that, so I definitely learned something new.

What are your plans after high school?

D: Oh yeah. I’m going to college, I am going to college!

At first I didn’t know anything about Texas Tech, so I couldn’t really give an answer of whether I wanted to come here or not, but now I’ve read the brochure and spent some time here. I will always keep Texas Tech in mind, especially since I know I’d be on the same campus as Susan. I know if I needed anything, I could just call her and be like, “Susan, can you please come to my dorm? I need help!”

V: I definitely plan on going to college. I wouldn’t mind going to Texas Tech because I want to be in computer science as a computer engineer, and I want to be part of Susan’s chess team.

Polgar on Dyhemia and Vanita

Polgar said both girls represent hope for many other young women in difficult situations.

Speaking specifically about Dyhemia’s story, Polgar said last week’s experience was not only life changing for Dyhemia, but for many others.

“I think Dyhemia is a very special girl. The way I look at it is that she’s just one of the many Cinderella potentials, and her story can inspire thousands of other girls in difficult situations that they are in. It can become hope and encouragement.”

Source: http://today.ttu.edu

Some Queens are born, others grow into the role

Some Queens are born, others grow into the role

By Lisa Suhay



NORFOLK, VA --The story of the Chess Cinderella of Palo Alto, Ca. started here in Norfolk during a phone call with Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar of Lubbock, TX. We were discussing the off-beat free chess programs I run on this coast and how hard it is for many at-risk children to get a shot at a scholarship tournament.



She decided to put the fully-charged magic wand in my hands by offering to give a Wild Card invitation to a player of my recommendation for the Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Chess Invitational at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas July 24th-30th. Three of the 46 girls would win $40,000 scholarships to Texas Tech, plus having three days of instruction by Polgar herself.



Since my efforts here have centered more on attracting children to chess than running competitions, I knew the girl should be Dyhemia Young, 15, of Palo Alto, Ca. Dyhemia's chess mentor there had often told me about her local tournament wins and it had stuck with me. I submitted her name, never realizing what an epic saga was being set in motion.



As most people now know, Dyhemia would prove nearly impossible to locate. She was in foster care. Somewhere. Her mentor put the word out to her friends and teachers with zero results.



I found a missing child flyer in Google images that led me to San Francisco Police Missing Persons Detective Joseph Carroll. After spilling the story I prepared for the brush-off. Instead he said, “I am going to find this girl. She deserves her shot. Let’s make something happen.”



She was being held in juvenile hall for running away. Carroll hooked me up with Social Services and after hearing the story of our Chess Cinderella they agreed to help. Dyhemia was moved to a group home in Palo Alto.



Then the City Attorney got into the act, mandating Dyhemia not travel without a Social Services chaperone. A court order would have to be obtained, plus an additional order to allow her to speak to the media so we could try and raise the money for both plane tickets and double room and board.



The orders were obtained. Dyhemia, with just 72-hours until the start of the tournament, talked to the press and a story ran in The Los Angeles Times.



Federal Express was so moved they paid for the plane tickets.



Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith had her agent send payment for the rooms and all meals for Dyhemia and her chaperone, Sheila George.



I flew to Texas for the tournament. The moment I met her I knew this really was meant to be. Despite all her trials, Dyhemia is effervescent.



She arrived with a black eye from a jealous girl at the group home that nearly cost her the dream, but the attacker's arm was too short to box with God and Dyhemia made the flight in time.



But like the hundreds of children with whom I work, Dyhemia has not had a personal chess coach and the money to pay for tournament fees and membership in the US Chess Federation. She didn’t know how to use a clock, or take fast enough chess notation. So she was not a rated player and would have to learn the rules under fire.



Day one of competition, with two games to play and a FOX/CNN affiliate’s camera staring her in the face Cinderella wept on my shoulder. “What if I lose all my games and disappoint everybody who believed in me? What is gonna happen to me if I lose?”



I said, “It will rain frogs. The earth will open and swallow you and you will come back as a chubby white lady from Virginia.” She gave me her, “UH-HUH” look, grinned and said, “Well if that’s all then I better just get started. That ain’t nothin’.”



But she rushed her game like it was street blitz and lost. A chess dad/coach, Abdul Shakoor and his daughter Diamond, took her out of the building and reset her mental clock. While she still lost Game 2 it was tight. Dyhemia was on her game.



The next day Susan Polgar, Shakoor and I paced, agonizing over every move. You would have thought we all had money on that game.



With three moves to Mate and Dyhemia winning, the local TV cameraman cluelessly clunked his lens right onto the edge of the board nearly toppling her game.



Without thinking I grabbed him by the neck and dragged him backward, camera and all, hissing in his ear, “Do that again and I promise you I will give you your first jiu-jitsu lesson!” I pointed to his new spot and hissed, "STAY!" He did.



Moments later Dyhemia made her move and her opponent's King toppled. She did a silent little victory hop and shimmy out the door.



She would lose all her following games. Despite quantum leaps she could not close the disadvantage gap.



With only one victory, the award ceremony was a formality until Polgar pulled me aside. She said, “Dyhemia. She is going into the 11th grade yes?” Yes. So?



Apparently, the three Grand Prizes are not awarded to the top three overall, but the top 3 girls entering the 11th and 12th grades because they are $40,000 scholarships to Texas Tech carry a caveat and must be used within a certain time frame.



Between her win, her age and the fact that another girl, a senior, was already committed to another school, Dyhemia was one of the three new Queens.



As I waived good-bye and ran to catch my flight home I looked back at the room filled with happy endings and wondered where the next Chess Cinderella will hail from. I found myself mentally rewriting the opening line to the classic tale to read, "More than once upon a time..."



YouTube video of Dyhemia’s first win: http://youtu.be/tJjxWy1r4vM



• Lisa Suhay runs free urban chess programs and events on the East Coast and is a children’s book author. Contact her at Lsuhays2@cox.net. Learn more at www.lisasuhay.com



Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/SPGirlsInvitational2011



Final standings



Overall Champion: Apurva Virkud (Acer netbook computer)

2nd: Mandy Lu

3rd - 4th: Maggie Feng and Kristen Sarna



Under 13: Mandy Lu (Acer netbook computer)

Under 10: Chenyi Zhao (Acer netbook computer)



Scholarships to Texas Tech (approximately $40,000 each for out of state students):



Vanita Young

Cheryl Liu

Dyhemia Young



Parents / Friends:



1. David Chris Miller

2-4 Angelito Abella

2-4 Martha Underwood

2-4 Abdul Abdus-Shakoor



Puzzle Solving:



1. Maggie Feng 20/20

2. Katherine Davis 19/20

3. Rebecca Deland 19/20



Blitz:



1-2. Mandy Liu (Winner by playoff)

1-2. Evelyn Chen



Bughouse:



1-3. Kristen Sarna / Clarissa Abella (Winners on tiebreaks)

1-3. Apurva Virkud / Katherine Davis

1-3. Mandy Lu / Maggie Feng



Tournament Director: Frank Niro

Assistant Tournament Directors: Martha Underwood and Ken Wyzywany

Competition and lasting friendship

Young chess phenom wins scholarship to Texas Tech at tournament

Dyhemia Young's journey to the Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational chess tournament was long and difficult, and though she didn't win the competition, she did receive a scholarship to Texas Tech.

http://youtu.be/E71oE-zrwWk

By Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times
August 4, 2011

Reporting from East Palo Alto, Calif.—

Dyhemia Young left for Lubbock, Texas, with a black eye — compliments of a girl at her East Palo Alto group home — and returned the proud recipient of a chess scholarship worth $40,000.

Along the way, the 15-year-old from the wrong side of San Francisco, who could not have made it to a prestigious chess tournament without the kindness of strangers, became a nationally rated player.

"My journey here, it was tough, because I had a lot of situations going on at home," she said tearfully after her first win, Game 3 of the six-game Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational.

The tournament takes place each year at Texas Tech University, drawing the top-rated girl from each state. Polgar, the first woman to earn the title of grandmaster, also issues two "wild card" invitations to gifted players who haven't traveled the pricey road of official competition.

Dyhemia, who has spent the last three years in and out of foster care, received one of the wild card bids. But when Adisa Banjoko, her chess mentor, called in June with the good news, Dyhemia had disappeared.

It took nearly a month and the help of a San Francisco police detective to locate Dyhemia; after a short stint in juvenile hall, she had ended up in the teen home.

Then there was the matter of money — nearly $3,000 was needed to send the high-school junior and a chaperone to the six-day event. After reading her story in The Times, generous donors sent thousands of dollars Dyhemia's way.

Problem solved? Not so fast.

The night before her flight to Texas, Dyhemia was sitting in the group home studying for her driver's license test with the help of a staff member. When the woman left the room, Dyhemia continued to drill herself. "Why don't you just shut up?" one of the other girls said before charging Dyhemia and punching her in the face.

"It all stemmed from jealousy," Sheila George, who heads the group home and accompanied Dyhemia to Texas, said in a phone interview from Lubbock. "Dyhemia came down here with all this in her soul and mind and heart. She had to get rid of all that junk."

When the rattled girl and her worried chaperone stepped off the plane in Texas, they were greeted by Polgar and a cheering group of chess players — Dyhemia's competitors and newfound friends.

More here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0804-chess-girl-follow-20110804,0,14884.story

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chess-girl-pictures,0,3756581.photogallery

Competition and lasting friendship

Young chess phenom wins scholarship to Texas Tech at tournament

Dyhemia Young's journey to the Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational chess tournament was long and difficult, and though she didn't win the competition, she did receive a scholarship to Texas Tech.

http://youtu.be/E71oE-zrwWk

By Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times
August 4, 2011

Reporting from East Palo Alto, Calif.—

Dyhemia Young left for Lubbock, Texas, with a black eye — compliments of a girl at her East Palo Alto group home — and returned the proud recipient of a chess scholarship worth $40,000.

Along the way, the 15-year-old from the wrong side of San Francisco, who could not have made it to a prestigious chess tournament without the kindness of strangers, became a nationally rated player.

"My journey here, it was tough, because I had a lot of situations going on at home," she said tearfully after her first win, Game 3 of the six-game Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational.

The tournament takes place each year at Texas Tech University, drawing the top-rated girl from each state. Polgar, the first woman to earn the title of grandmaster, also issues two "wild card" invitations to gifted players who haven't traveled the pricey road of official competition.

Dyhemia, who has spent the last three years in and out of foster care, received one of the wild card bids. But when Adisa Banjoko, her chess mentor, called in June with the good news, Dyhemia had disappeared.

It took nearly a month and the help of a San Francisco police detective to locate Dyhemia; after a short stint in juvenile hall, she had ended up in the teen home.

Then there was the matter of money — nearly $3,000 was needed to send the high-school junior and a chaperone to the six-day event. After reading her story in The Times, generous donors sent thousands of dollars Dyhemia's way.

Problem solved? Not so fast.

The night before her flight to Texas, Dyhemia was sitting in the group home studying for her driver's license test with the help of a staff member. When the woman left the room, Dyhemia continued to drill herself. "Why don't you just shut up?" one of the other girls said before charging Dyhemia and punching her in the face.

"It all stemmed from jealousy," Sheila George, who heads the group home and accompanied Dyhemia to Texas, said in a phone interview from Lubbock. "Dyhemia came down here with all this in her soul and mind and heart. She had to get rid of all that junk."

When the rattled girl and her worried chaperone stepped off the plane in Texas, they were greeted by Polgar and a cheering group of chess players — Dyhemia's competitors and newfound friends.

More here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0804-chess-girl-follow-20110804,0,14884.story

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chess-girl-pictures,0,3756581.photogallery

Making the best of the one shot

San Francisco Bayview’s Chess Star Wins Big
by Julianne Hing
Wednesday, August 3 2011, 6:38 PM EST

They’re calling her a “Chess Cinderella.” Dyhemia Young is a 16-year-old chess star who won a coveted wild card seat in the prestigious all-girls annual Susan Polgar Girls’ Invitational chess tournament in Lubbock, Texas. But there were a couple obstacles standing in her way. For one, airfare from Young’s home town of San Francisco to Texas was steep, and then Young’s mentor Adisa Banjoko had trouble locating her when he heard the news about her invitation.

Banjoko mentored Young in chess through the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit that uses music, chess and martial arts to help young people in rough neighborhoods navigate their tricky lives.

It turned out that Young had been bouncing around the foster care system for the last three years, and it was only after finding a missing person’s poster and scouring leads that led them to the San Francisco police that Banjoko was able to get ahold of Young.

More here.

Making the best of the one shot

San Francisco Bayview’s Chess Star Wins Big
by Julianne Hing
Wednesday, August 3 2011, 6:38 PM EST

They’re calling her a “Chess Cinderella.” Dyhemia Young is a 16-year-old chess star who won a coveted wild card seat in the prestigious all-girls annual Susan Polgar Girls’ Invitational chess tournament in Lubbock, Texas. But there were a couple obstacles standing in her way. For one, airfare from Young’s home town of San Francisco to Texas was steep, and then Young’s mentor Adisa Banjoko had trouble locating her when he heard the news about her invitation.

Banjoko mentored Young in chess through the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit that uses music, chess and martial arts to help young people in rough neighborhoods navigate their tricky lives.

It turned out that Young had been bouncing around the foster care system for the last three years, and it was only after finding a missing person’s poster and scouring leads that led them to the San Francisco police that Banjoko was able to get ahold of Young.

More here.

How to shoe shop like a Grandmaster

How to shoe shop like a Grandmaster

SP Girls' Invitational: Behind the boards

SP Girls' Invitational: Behind the boards

SP Girls' Invitational from the TD's perspective

I was given the privilege of directing the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational Chess Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, from July 24-29, 2011. I am pictured above with Susan Polgar, Heather Young of Vancouver, WA, and her parents, Ron & Peggy Young.

The winner was the highest rated player, Apurva Virkud, from Michigan with a perfect 6-0 score. Mandy Lu, also of Michigan, and Chenyi Zhao of California each were presented with netbook computers for winning the under age 13 and under age 10 prizes respectively. Mandy also won the blitz tournament in a playoff over Evelyn Chen of Georgia.

There were four scholarships given to players entering the 11th or 12th grade. They went to Vanita Young of Pennsylvania, Cheryl Liu of Illinois, Sneha Chikkila of Arkansas and Dyhemia Young of California. Each scholarship is valued at approximately $40,000 for out-of-state students who will utilize the award for their full four years in college.

As a current resident of the Great Northwest, I was very interested in the results of the girls from my area. Heather Young of Vancouver, WA, who is home schooled and will be entering 10th grade in September, finished 18th out of 46 players. Most of the entrants were champions or co-champions of their respective states.

The Idaho representative was Savanah Naccarato of Sandpoint, who plays mostly in the Spokane scholastic events. Savanah finished in 9th place with a 4-2 score. She will be entering 9th grade in the fall and has begun study in recent months with Seattle chess coach John Graves. Unfortunately there was no Oregon participant this year.

Susan provided three days of intensive training for all of the participants. I was allowed to sit in on the sessions and am very impressed with the quality of play of the girls as well as the depth of learning that is available to them as part of the event.

Many thanks to Jeff Roland of Idaho who reformatted the cross table for the 2011 SPGI event to make it easier to read. It is located here.

Here is the ICA link for the 2011 SPGI story about Savanah Naccarato.

Here is the link for the Bonner Bee article about Savanah Naccarato:

Thanks to the interest and energy of Rusty Miller there should be some coverage soon in Vancouver press concerning Heather Young.

An annual fund is in the process of being established, perhaps through Northwest Chess, to support travel expenses for each year's Northwest nominees (Washington, Oregon & Idaho). My suggestion is to call it the Dr. Ralph L. Hall memorial travel fund after one of the pioneers of scholastic chess excellence in the Northwest. Dr. Hall wrote position papers on the benefits of chess for children years before anyone else even thought about it.

More details of the event can be found on Susan’s blog:

I will be tournament director for the Open Section (FIDE Rated) of the Portland Chess Club Centennial Open in August. Please stop by and say “hello” if you play in or visit the event. The tournament flyer is located here.

Frank Niro

SP Girls' Invitational from the TD's perspective

I was given the privilege of directing the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational Chess Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, from July 24-29, 2011. I am pictured above with Susan Polgar, Heather Young of Vancouver, WA, and her parents, Ron & Peggy Young.

The winner was the highest rated player, Apurva Virkud, from Michigan with a perfect 6-0 score. Mandy Lu, also of Michigan, and Chenyi Zhao of California each were presented with netbook computers for winning the under age 13 and under age 10 prizes respectively. Mandy also won the blitz tournament in a playoff over Evelyn Chen of Georgia.

There were four scholarships given to players entering the 11th or 12th grade. They went to Vanita Young of Pennsylvania, Cheryl Liu of Illinois, Sneha Chikkila of Arkansas and Dyhemia Young of California. Each scholarship is valued at approximately $40,000 for out-of-state students who will utilize the award for their full four years in college.

As a current resident of the Great Northwest, I was very interested in the results of the girls from my area. Heather Young of Vancouver, WA, who is home schooled and will be entering 10th grade in September, finished 18th out of 46 players. Most of the entrants were champions or co-champions of their respective states.

The Idaho representative was Savanah Naccarato of Sandpoint, who plays mostly in the Spokane scholastic events. Savanah finished in 9th place with a 4-2 score. She will be entering 9th grade in the fall and has begun study in recent months with Seattle chess coach John Graves. Unfortunately there was no Oregon participant this year.

Susan provided three days of intensive training for all of the participants. I was allowed to sit in on the sessions and am very impressed with the quality of play of the girls as well as the depth of learning that is available to them as part of the event.

Many thanks to Jeff Roland of Idaho who reformatted the cross table for the 2011 SPGI event to make it easier to read. It is located here.

Here is the ICA link for the 2011 SPGI story about Savanah Naccarato.

Here is the link for the Bonner Bee article about Savanah Naccarato:

Thanks to the interest and energy of Rusty Miller there should be some coverage soon in Vancouver press concerning Heather Young.

An annual fund is in the process of being established, perhaps through Northwest Chess, to support travel expenses for each year's Northwest nominees (Washington, Oregon & Idaho). My suggestion is to call it the Dr. Ralph L. Hall memorial travel fund after one of the pioneers of scholastic chess excellence in the Northwest. Dr. Hall wrote position papers on the benefits of chess for children years before anyone else even thought about it.

More details of the event can be found on Susan’s blog:

I will be tournament director for the Open Section (FIDE Rated) of the Portland Chess Club Centennial Open in August. Please stop by and say “hello” if you play in or visit the event. The tournament flyer is located here.

Frank Niro

Savanna Naccarato places 9th out of 46 at the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls Invitational

Savanna Naccarato (center) with her mother, Rachelle (left), and GM Susan Polgar (right). Photo courtesy of the Susan Polgar Foundation.

by Jeff Roland

Reports started coming in a few days ago from Frank Niro (an Idaho resident), Tournament Director of the 8th Annual Susan Polgar Girls Invitational held this year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, July 24-29, 2011. Savanna Naccarato, an 8th grader from Sandpoint, Idaho was at one point, one of only four girls tied for first place after three rounds (with three rounds remaining) in this prestigious event. In round 4, and round 5, Savanna lost her games to higher ranked players, and won in the 6th round to end up with 4 points, and a 9th place (out of 46 players) finish. This is an outstanding result for an 8th grader in her first attempt.

Savanna qualified to play in this event by tying for first place in the 2011 Idaho Scholastic Girls Championship held in Boise, this past February.

Savanna and her family are very appreciative of all the support they have had for Savanna to represent Idaho at this event. The Bonner County Daily Bee helped promote a fundraiser yard sale, that actually brought in $800 toward expenses (some people dropped off money and didn't even buy anything at the yard sale -- they just wanted to support Savanna. And also community clubs and businesses and friends gave their support as well. The Spokane Chess Club also contributed as did the Idaho Chess Association.

Special thanks goes to Savanna's coach, National Master, John Graves, from Washington State, who has really worked hard and done a fabulous job preparing Savanna for this event. During the event he even called and texted between rounds.

Click here for May 11, 2011 article by Cameron Rasmusson, Staff for the Bonner County Daily Bee.

The event finished on July 29, 2011. Click Here for the crosstable.

http://www.idahochessassociation.org/index.asp

Savanna Naccarato places 9th out of 46 at the 2011 Susan Polgar Girls Invitational

Savanna Naccarato (center) with her mother, Rachelle (left), and GM Susan Polgar (right). Photo courtesy of the Susan Polgar Foundation.

by Jeff Roland

Reports started coming in a few days ago from Frank Niro (an Idaho resident), Tournament Director of the 8th Annual Susan Polgar Girls Invitational held this year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, July 24-29, 2011. Savanna Naccarato, an 8th grader from Sandpoint, Idaho was at one point, one of only four girls tied for first place after three rounds (with three rounds remaining) in this prestigious event. In round 4, and round 5, Savanna lost her games to higher ranked players, and won in the 6th round to end up with 4 points, and a 9th place (out of 46 players) finish. This is an outstanding result for an 8th grader in her first attempt.

Savanna qualified to play in this event by tying for first place in the 2011 Idaho Scholastic Girls Championship held in Boise, this past February.

Savanna and her family are very appreciative of all the support they have had for Savanna to represent Idaho at this event. The Bonner County Daily Bee helped promote a fundraiser yard sale, that actually brought in $800 toward expenses (some people dropped off money and didn't even buy anything at the yard sale -- they just wanted to support Savanna. And also community clubs and businesses and friends gave their support as well. The Spokane Chess Club also contributed as did the Idaho Chess Association.

Special thanks goes to Savanna's coach, National Master, John Graves, from Washington State, who has really worked hard and done a fabulous job preparing Savanna for this event. During the event he even called and texted between rounds.

Click here for May 11, 2011 article by Cameron Rasmusson, Staff for the Bonner County Daily Bee.

The event finished on July 29, 2011. Click Here for the crosstable.

http://www.idahochessassociation.org/index.asp