Though she could neither read nor write, Phiona turned out to be a chess prodigy, and the subject of Crothers’ third book. The Queen of Katwe is a remarkable and inspirational book that shows how 'Phiona's story transcends the limitations of the chessboard' (Robert Hess, US Grandmaster). Tim Crothers first told the story of Phiona Mutesia young girl from the Katwe slums of Uganda who stumbled into a chess program as a 9-year-old searching for foodin 2011 in ESPN The Magazine.

One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable countries. One Girls Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion. Now a Woman Candidate Master - the first female titled player in her country's history - Phiona dreams of becoming a Grandmaster, the most elite level in chess. The Queen of Katwe (2016), a biography by American author Tim Crothers, chronicles the life of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan woman who became a chess prodigy and. Of these kids, one girl stood out as an immense talent: Phiona.īy the age of eleven Phiona was her country's junior champion, and at fifteen, the national champion. The Queen of Katwe has been selected by Dave Eggers for Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the original. At first children came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love the game that - like their daily lives - requires persevering against great obstacles. Tim's latest book The Queen of Katwe is the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenager from the poorest slums of Uganda, who inspired by an unlikely mentor, a war refugee turned missionary has become an international chess champion. Laying a chessboard in the dirt, Robert began to teach. Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream: to empower kids in the Katwe slum through chess - a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende.

The queen of katwe by tim crothers