Three Lauderhill girls take home a second-place trophy during an all-girls national chess tournament in a suburb of Chicago.
Three young friends’ passion for chess has led them to pull off a feat not even their coach and parents could believe.
The team of 11-year-old girls from Lauderhill traveled to a Chicago suburb for the crowning moment of their chess careers: They placed second nationally at this year’s Kasparov Chess Foundation All-Girls National Chess Championship, a premier tournament that featured 320 players.
There were about 30 teams in different age categories — and the one made up of Mckhaila McKenzie, Shyan Braswell and Erykah Shaw was the only team representing Florida, organizers said.
“It was surprising because I just wasn’t aware of how strong the team was among a national group of students from everywhere,” said Shyan’s mother, Latoya Jones.
The three Castle Hill Elementary students, who are moving on to the sixth grade this fall, have drawn acclaim since their April win. The girl’s team first was considered a “small little club,” but their popularity just went “through the roof” when they returned as champs, Erykah said.
The city of Lauderhill recently honored them with a proclamation.
“They’re really good,” said Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan, who is excited about bringing chess to more children. “You’re seeing it already. You’re seeing huge movement to get involved with this game.”
More students may have an opportunity to follow in their steps as a new countywide chess program kicks off at Broward elementary schools this fall, officials said.
How did the girls hone their skills and prepare for the tournament? They played daily on traditional and virtual boards, downloaded chess apps and stuck to rigorous tournament rules.
They used game clocks and would log times, jot down plays and enforce a touch-and-move rule to commit to any chess piece they picked up. They used strategy books and played solitaire sessions to sharpen their minds.
The experience was magical for the “humble little group of girls,” said Mckhaila’s father, Robert McKenzie. He’s a Castle Hill teacher who served as their coach.
Before the Chicago tournament, the girls, and a few boys in the Castle Hill school chess team, competed in seven tournaments across South Florida. They did remarkably well, placing either first or second in each of those competitions, McKenzie said.
The girls rose to the top and became the strongest players, their coach said.
Just a year prior, Shyan knew nothing about chess. She learned when Mckhaila gave her a chess set for her birthday last year. Mckhaila was introduced to chess at age 5 and Erykah learned about two years ago.
About five weeks before the tournament in Chicago, McKenzie said he trained the three girls to become nimble on the board by challenging them to five-minute games, or “blitz” matches.
The girls were apprehensive about facing off against players with higher ratings, but the coach assured them they could overcome anything.
“All you’ve got to do is believe in yourself,” McKenzie told them.
Finally, the three-day tournament arrived in Chicago. Although girls are “just as competitive” and “just as fierce” as boys, there is good reason for having a chess competition that is all girls, said organizer David Heiser.
It’s intended “to get girls involved in chess and encourage them to play chess,” Heiser said.
Mckhaila, Shyan and Erykah each competed in six matches lasting up to three hours each.
When Mckhaila told her father she’d won her last match, he dropped to his knees and cheered, she said.
“It’s like crazy what we did. I just can’t put in words,” she said. “Just makes me so happy I did this with my best friends.”
Even though the girls are avid chess players, and are good at math and science, they still are well-rounded kids who like to go for frozen yogurt and go to the movies together. Two of the girls are involved in dance or cheerleading. Mckhaila is a budding actress and a spelling-bee champ.
Still, chess is cool, the girls said.
And educators are hoping other students think so, too.
The Broward School District this fall plans to introduce a program to expose elementary schoolchildren to the 1,500-year-old game of wits. The district approved a $1 million chess program that would introduce all second- and third-grade students to chess.
America’s Foundation for Chess provided $912,600 of the funding, with the district covering the rest of the cost.
“It kind of feels really good to know that I’m a good influence, how I’m just a girl and I’m beating all these boys,” Mckhaila said. “It really gives me a nice feeling inside to know I’m doing something special in my heart and it’s really fun doing it with my friends.”