Teen chess master making right moves for her life’s goals

Jan. 21, 2006, 10:33PM

Teen chess master making right moves for her life’s goals
Born in Texas, raised in Mexico, she works both sides of border

By KEVIN GARCIA and ANA MCKENZIE
Brownsville Herald

BROWNSVILLE – When it comes to life, chess and her education, 18-year-old Nelly Estrada knows how to take the time to make the right move.

“I’m a positional player,” said Estrada, who recently transferred to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. “That means you are a more strategic kind of person who plans and plays slow games.”

Born in El Paso, raised in Juarez, Mexico, and continuing her education in Brownsville, the young master chess player considers herself an international student.

“I’m a Mexican-American,” she said. “I consider myself both because Juarez and here are the frontier. You have to be part of both cultures.”

That is why she jumped at the chance to join UTB-TSC’s chess team when assistant chess coach Rusty Harwood found her name while researching for a tournament in Morelia, Mexico. He stumbled onto something quite intriguing.

“I was at the tournament’s Web site when I found an article on Nelly Estrada,” Harwood said. “I knew we had to contact her.”

Interestingly enough, the Internet also helped Estrada find UTB-TSC.

“I searched through the Internet, and I found out that UTB has a very good program in biology, so I decided to change,” Estrada said.

“I think this is better because I think this is the best program that UTB has.”

She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology at UTB before seeking a medical master’s at another school. She hopes to find a career in biotechnology after college. Previously, at the University of Juarez, Estrada was an engineering major.

Estrada began playing chess 10 years ago and immediately knew it was for her.

“In my elementary school, there was a teacher who told us about the chess club, and I just liked it from the very first moment,” Estrada said. “Besides, my father gave a chess board to my brother, and it was very pretty.”

Inspired by her teacher and just a little envious of her brother, Estrada took the game seriously and won her first school tournament. By the time she entered high school, she had competed in two state championships.

In 2002, she earned fourth in a Mexican national championship, earning first place when she returned in 2003.

Estrada holds the Under-20 Female National Chess Champion of Mexico title.

She has won the Mexican national championship four times in different age groups and has represented Mexico several times in international tournaments.

“I’m a national master in Mexico,” Estrada acknowledged.

Her current rating is 2025, giving her master status. If she improves to a 2400 rating, she would be a senior master.

UTB-TSC President Juliet V. Garcia will present Estrada with a scholarship to begin this spring as the university’s first female chess player.

“We are noticing that female chess players begin playing at a young age and then drop the hobby,” Harwood said. “One of our goals was to have a female player on our team as a role model for girls to continue with chess.”

Estrada did not hesitate to sign on with the UTB-TSC team.

She surpassed her coaches in Mexico four years ago so has been practicing by herself since then.Estrada says her parents are very supportive of her decision because they know this has been a lifelong passion that will only flourish with more practice.

She will be representing UTB-TSC in her first competition Jan. 28-29 in Corpus Christi (Susan Polgar National Open Championship for Girls).

http://chessville.com/News/2006SusanPolgarNationalOpenforGirls.htm.