By the age of 15, Jessica Hyatt was already receiving a $ 40,000 college scholarship. In addition, she is only a few ranks away from making history as the world’s first black female chess champion!
Jessica, one of the top ten black chess players in the United States, recently received the prestigious Daniel Feinberg Succes in Chess Award, which is endowed with a college scholarship of $ 40,000.
“I play whenever I get the chance, like in my spare time, like during class, like sometimes during class,” Jessica told CBS News, noting that she plays at least 5 to 7 hours a day.
Jessica is currently in her sophomore year at Success Academy, a school known for its exceptional chess program. Five years ago she met her coaches Tyrell Harriott and David Mbonu, who are both National Masters, the highest level in the USA.
To become a chess master, a ranking of 2,200 must be achieved. Jessica is already at 1,950.
“I learned the game when I was 15. So it’s a huge advantage for Jessica to be at 1950,” said Harriot.
With this she hopes to become the first black chess master.
“There has never been a black player who broke the championship standings and that’s exactly what Jessica wants,” said Mbonu.
Despite the pandemic, Jessica continues to improve her skills by playing chess online. Her mother, Loy Allen, was very supportive of her daughter and hopes that other little colored children will be inspired by her story.
“If your child is passionate enough, let them choose because the sky is the limit, right?” said Allen.
After Jessica achieves her goal of becoming a chess master, she dreams of going to college at MIT and plans to teach chess to other children as well.
This article was originally published by BlackNews.com.
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