Some Queens are born, others grow into the role
By Lisa Suhay
NORFOLK, VA –The story of the Chess Cinderella of Palo Alto, Ca. started here in Norfolk during a phone call with Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar of Lubbock, TX. We were discussing the off-beat free chess programs I run on this coast and how hard it is for many at-risk children to get a shot at a scholarship tournament.
She decided to put the fully-charged magic wand in my hands by offering to give a Wild Card invitation to a player of my recommendation for the Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Chess Invitational at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas July 24th-30th. Three of the 46 girls would win $40,000 scholarships to Texas Tech, plus having three days of instruction by Polgar herself.
Since my efforts here have centered more on attracting children to chess than running competitions, I knew the girl should be Dyhemia Young, 15, of Palo Alto, Ca. Dyhemia’s chess mentor there had often told me about her local tournament wins and it had stuck with me. I submitted her name, never realizing what an epic saga was being set in motion.
As most people now know, Dyhemia would prove nearly impossible to locate. She was in foster care. Somewhere. Her mentor put the word out to her friends and teachers with zero results.
I found a missing child flyer in Google images that led me to San Francisco Police Missing Persons Detective Joseph Carroll. After spilling the story I prepared for the brush-off. Instead he said, “I am going to find this girl. She deserves her shot. Let’s make something happen.”
She was being held in juvenile hall for running away. Carroll hooked me up with Social Services and after hearing the story of our Chess Cinderella they agreed to help. Dyhemia was moved to a group home in Palo Alto.
Then the City Attorney got into the act, mandating Dyhemia not travel without a Social Services chaperone. A court order would have to be obtained, plus an additional order to allow her to speak to the media so we could try and raise the money for both plane tickets and double room and board.
The orders were obtained. Dyhemia, with just 72-hours until the start of the tournament, talked to the press and a story ran in The Los Angeles Times.
Federal Express was so moved they paid for the plane tickets.
Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith had her agent send payment for the rooms and all meals for Dyhemia and her chaperone, Sheila George.
I flew to Texas for the tournament. The moment I met her I knew this really was meant to be. Despite all her trials, Dyhemia is effervescent.
She arrived with a black eye from a jealous girl at the group home that nearly cost her the dream, but the attacker’s arm was too short to box with God and Dyhemia made the flight in time.
But like the hundreds of children with whom I work, Dyhemia has not had a personal chess coach and the money to pay for tournament fees and membership in the US Chess Federation. She didn’t know how to use a clock, or take fast enough chess notation. So she was not a rated player and would have to learn the rules under fire.
Day one of competition, with two games to play and a FOX/CNN affiliate’s camera staring her in the face Cinderella wept on my shoulder. “What if I lose all my games and disappoint everybody who believed in me? What is gonna happen to me if I lose?”
I said, “It will rain frogs. The earth will open and swallow you and you will come back as a chubby white lady from Virginia.” She gave me her, “UH-HUH” look, grinned and said, “Well if that’s all then I better just get started. That ain’t nothin’.”
But she rushed her game like it was street blitz and lost. A chess dad/coach, Abdul Shakoor and his daughter Diamond, took her out of the building and reset her mental clock. While she still lost Game 2 it was tight. Dyhemia was on her game.
The next day Susan Polgar, Shakoor and I paced, agonizing over every move. You would have thought we all had money on that game.
With three moves to Mate and Dyhemia winning, the local TV cameraman cluelessly clunked his lens right onto the edge of the board nearly toppling her game.
Without thinking I grabbed him by the neck and dragged him backward, camera and all, hissing in his ear, “Do that again and I promise you I will give you your first jiu-jitsu lesson!” I pointed to his new spot and hissed, “STAY!” He did.
Moments later Dyhemia made her move and her opponent’s King toppled. She did a silent little victory hop and shimmy out the door.
She would lose all her following games. Despite quantum leaps she could not close the disadvantage gap.
With only one victory, the award ceremony was a formality until Polgar pulled me aside. She said, “Dyhemia. She is going into the 11th grade yes?” Yes. So?
Apparently, the three Grand Prizes are not awarded to the top three overall, but the top 3 girls entering the 11th and 12th grades because they are $40,000 scholarships to Texas Tech carry a caveat and must be used within a certain time frame.
Between her win, her age and the fact that another girl, a senior, was already committed to another school, Dyhemia was one of the three new Queens.
As I waived good-bye and ran to catch my flight home I looked back at the room filled with happy endings and wondered where the next Chess Cinderella will hail from. I found myself mentally rewriting the opening line to the classic tale to read, “More than once upon a time…”
YouTube video of Dyhemia’s first win: http://youtu.be/tJjxWy1r4vM
• Lisa Suhay runs free urban chess programs and events on the East Coast and is a children’s book author. Contact her at Lsuhays2@cox.net. Learn more at www.lisasuhay.com
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/SPGirlsInvitational2011
Final standings
Overall Champion: Apurva Virkud (Acer netbook computer)
2nd: Mandy Lu
3rd – 4th: Maggie Feng and Kristen Sarna
Under 13: Mandy Lu (Acer netbook computer)
Under 10: Chenyi Zhao (Acer netbook computer)
Scholarships to Texas Tech (approximately $40,000 each for out of state students):
Vanita Young
Cheryl Liu
Dyhemia Young
Parents / Friends:
1. David Chris Miller
2-4 Angelito Abella
2-4 Martha Underwood
2-4 Abdul Abdus-Shakoor
Puzzle Solving:
1. Maggie Feng 20/20
2. Katherine Davis 19/20
3. Rebecca Deland 19/20
Blitz:
1-2. Mandy Liu (Winner by playoff)
1-2. Evelyn Chen
Bughouse:
1-3. Kristen Sarna / Clarissa Abella (Winners on tiebreaks)
1-3. Apurva Virkud / Katherine Davis
1-3. Mandy Lu / Maggie Feng
Tournament Director: Frank Niro
Assistant Tournament Directors: Martha Underwood and Ken Wyzywany
Nice!