Girls' Chess in Marin County, California

From The Marin Indepdent Journal

Chess is king for girls at Saint Mark's School
Jennifer Upshaw
Article Launched: 02/02/2008 11:36:01 PM PST

For 6-year-old Julia Schulman, it was a comeback year.

"Last year I got fifth place," said the Saint Mark's School first-grader, one of 72 players at the CalChess Girls' Chess Championship, who placed fourth in her age group at the tournament Saturday hosted by the San Rafael school.

"I'm really excited, yeah, because there's lots of people and I haven't played chess with timers," she said of her lack of experience against the clock. "I thought I'd get lower but actually I got higher."

The second annual event, spearheaded by the school's chess coach, Ray Orwig, is a rare tournament exclusively for girls. Students from across the Bay Area participate.

Open to girls from kindergarten through 12th grade, the tournament is a qualifying event for high schoolers for a national contest and, for the younger kids, "just another opportunity to play," said Orwig, who handed out trophies Saturday. Play continues Sunday for middle and high school competitors.

"It's just a great opportunity to promote the game for girls," said Orwig, who estimated that about half of the school's students play chess.

"I always joke that in order to graduate you have to know how to play chess," he said.

Among the winners from Marin was Audrey Zhao, a Novato 9-year-old, who tied for first place in the fourth- through sixth-grade division.

"Well, I want to win other tournaments," Audrey said following Saturday's victory. "It was a really, really nice tournament."

Her father, David Zhao, said she didn't get her chess prowess from her parents.

"She taught us," he said. "Not a lot of girls can achieve that," he said of his daughter's tournament victory. "She really has a lot of courage."

SATURDAY WINNERS
Here are Saturday's standings for Saint Mark's participants in the CalChess Girls' Championship. Play continues Sunday.
- Kindergarten-first grade: Sydney Lewis of Novato, first grade, second place overall; Julia Schulman of San Rafael, first grade, fourth place overall.
- Second-third grade: Sophia Leswing of San Rafael, third grade, second place overall; Taylor Powers of Novato, second grade, 12th place overall, tied for first place among second graders.
- Fourth-sixth grade: Audrey Zhao of Novato, fourth grade, tied for first overall; Annalise Schulman of San Rafael, fifth grade, 10th overall, tied for first among fifth-graders.