Santa Cruz Sentinel

Look out Deep Blue, here comes Girl Power
By Matt King
Sentinel staff writer
May 27, 2007

Eight-year-old Brynn Jones is a girl of enthusiasm [“I love chess!], wavering concentration [“My move? It is? What did you do?”] and a healthy competitive spirit [“If you win all the people you get a big trophy. I’ve got one at home”].

At the second annual All-Girls Scholastic Chess Tournament at Westlake Elementary Saturday, Jones was one of 30 girls competing in a round-robin for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. The tournament is the creation of Gjon Feinstein, who’s been teaching chess in the county for 13 years.

“Girls represent about 10 to 12 percent of chess players,” said Feinstein between vain attempts to enforce the tournament’s no-talking rule. “If we can get them playing early, hopefully, we can shift the numbers”

Brynn has been playing chess for more than three years. She likes to play “because it involves your brain a lot, and that’s what I like to do”

Feinstein called chess “a cultural bridge” that brings people from around the world together in a fun and competitive way while developing higher-order problem solving skills and critical thinking.

Here is the full article.

Posted by Picasa
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Tags: , ,