Hamilton student one of world’s top chess players
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2014 9:59 am | Updated: 11:08 am, Fri Jan 10, 2014.

She’s not even a decade old, but she’s already making a name for herself in the world of chess.

Hamilton Elementary School third-grade student Maggie Ni tied for fourth place over the holidays in the World Junior Chess Championship under 8 girls’ division, which took place in the United Arab Emirates.

The World Youth Chess Championship, held Dec. 17-29 in Al Win, UAE, is the largest annual junior chess event in the world, drawing more than 1,800 players from 121 national chess federations. In the 11-round competition, Ni won seven games, lost three and had one draw.

“It was a fun trip for me and my dad,” Ni said. “I met a lot of girls from different countries and got some cool gifts. The flags made me dazzle; I tried to remember as many of those flags as I could.”

Ni began playing chess at a young age, earning her first Texas state championship in her third tournament at age 4. She holds several state and national records, including the highest rating in the U.S. for girls 8 and under. She has won four Texas state championships, one national championship, one Junior U.S. Open championship and the Pan-American gold medal.

She also earned her lifetime title of Woman FIDE Master (WFM) at age 7, making her the youngest chess WFM in the United States.

Source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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