Brownsville Girl On Her Way To Becoming Chess Master

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN -- Stomping and cheering may not be appropriate for this subtle sport, but let's do it anyway, because a Brownsville girl claimed victory at a highly competitive New York chess tournament last weekend, her teachers said.

Jessica Hyatt, an eighth grader at Success Academy Bed-Stuy Middle School, took the top place in the New York State Scholastic Championship High School U1800 Division this past weekend, Success Academy announced.

"As a female and an African-American, Jessica’s performance defied the statistics," noted the Success Academy statement. "Both groups are underrepresented in the game of chess."

Tyrell Harriott, Hyatt's coach, added, "She has incredible potential to be the first African-American Woman Master.”

Hyatt was undefeated when she beat out 56 competitors, who hailed from schools such as Edward R. Murrow and Brooklyn Tech, to claim victory in the six-game tournament, her school said.

The young chess whiz will continue to join her Success Academy chess team and pursue victory at the five national tournaments that happen in the U.S. every year, said the school.

“Moving forward, we are going to focus on getting her to even more competitions.”

Every game offers Hyatt a chance to play a national master and increase her rating. Since Harriott began coaching the teen in 2015, Hyatt's rating has skyrocketed from 300 to 1888 points, the coach said.