Have you heard of Phiona Mutesi? As a teen she was playing chess for food, in the slums of Uganda.

Mutesi was quoted as saying:

“I like chess because it involves planning,” and “If you don’t plan, you will end up with a bad life.”

Well, she really did take her own advice.

She was born in the slums, her birthdate isn’t even recorded or exactly known. She played chess at a young age and when she heard about a chess program hosted in a church in the Katwe slum neighborhoods in 2005. The incentive for kids to return was a bowl of porridge.

And this is where she started to excel! She became the first girl at the school level to compete against the boys.

Financialjuneteenth.com wrote:

“Mutesi’s first competition abroad was in South Sudan in 2009, during the Africa’s International Children’s Chess Tournament. The Ugandan team went back home with a trophy and Mutesi has since participated in competitions in Norway, Turkey, and Olympiads in Siberia.

She has earned the Woman Candidate Master ranking, proffered by the World Chess Federation.”

Now, the other super interesting thing is the Disney movie.

Her story is quite inspirational and the film titled The Queen of Katwe is being produced as we speak!

Chess in Uganda is also now on the rise thanks to her work!

Read more here: http://financialjuneteenth.com/teen-girl-who-played-chess-for-food-becomes-global-chess-prodigy/