News

Free Group Lessons Launched for Kisumu Youth Players

At the request of CM Ben Magana, the highest rated Kenyan chess player and coach, CTC has launched free group lessons for Kisumu youth players. The lessons are instructed by WIM Ellen Wang and are set up on a weekly basis to meet the needs of Kisumu junior players’ chess studies.

CTC connected with CM Magana and the Kisumu group during its Nairobi trip in March. Although the majority of the Kisumu players did not have the opportunity to participate in CTC’s two-day camp, five young stars from the area travelled overnight to attend in person, and over forty of them joined remotely the evening sessions CTC generously offered.

As CM Magana pointed out, “Compared to their counterparts in Nairobi, the Kisumu juniors are a bit disadvantaged in terms of opportunities generally. We at Kisumu would love to change that narrative.” It is CTC’s great honor to help make this change happen, and to bring this change to many more areas in Kenya where the love for the royal game never dwindles.        

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WIM Ellen Wang Wins All-Girls National in Chicago

The 2023 All-girls National Chess Championship took place from April 28th to April 30th in Chicago, where 471 girl players hailed from 35 states and competed fiercely for girls’ national championship titles. CTC Founder & President WIM Ellen Wang dominated the under-16 section and earned her first individual national champion. She also co-championed the blitz tournament with her NY friend Chloe Gaw.

Playing in an all-girls tournament at the national level is a unique experience for all girls. It certainly attests to someone’s chess strength among girls around the same age; but more important than that, it creates an unparalleled opportunity for girls to socialize, connect and support each other. Such opportunity is rare to find and therefore is crucial for building a bigger community of female players, where everyone feels empowered, inspired, and courageous to achieve and embraces her femininity.

For more information about this signature event, please visit the tournament website here

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Participation in UQ Online Lessons More Than Doubles This Spring

The Unruly Queens Spring 2023 Free Online Group Lessons, running from April 4th to June 6th, started off with great liveliness and palpable energy, boasting over 90 registrations that more than doubled the participation in the previous season.

Meeting again each Tuesday night over the 10-week time frame, chess girls at various levels, from novice to intermediate, study with UQ’s dedicated and experienced master instructors. This season, WFM and Girls’ Champion of Massachusetts Kelsey Liu and Girls’ Champion of Indiana Madison Brown joined WIM Ellen Wang and FM Alice Lee to lead the sessions. Their enthusiasm to advocate for girls’ chess along with their own chess pursuits contributes remarkably to UQ’s mission of closing the gender gap in the world of chess.

It is never too late to join the lesson series despite its outset earlier this month! Registration still continues in here. Or, email theunrulyqueens@gmail.com to be added to UQ’s mailing list and to receive timely notifications of future events.   

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