This book definitely has some parts that are sad, upsetting, and even scary. In Phiona’s real-life situation, the obstacles were poverty, starvation, violence, and an unstable family situation in the slums of Katwe. In chess, players have to persevere against many obstacles put in their path. I feel like Phiona saw her life reflected in the game of chess. Although I am not as good as Phiona, I practice the game of chess daily and often go to tournaments on the weekends. I consider myself a serious chess player. Her ultimate goal is to become a Grand Master, the highest title in chess. Phiona is now a Woman Candidate Master, the first in her country’s history. By the time she was fifteen, she had become the Uganda national champion.
Obviously, she had a natural affinity for chess, but it was her hard work and dedication that helped her become the national junior champion at the age of eleven, only two years after she first learned to play chess. Soon, she started to beat everyone, including her mentor, Robert. Phiona didn’t like the fact that she was being taught by someone who was younger than her, so she worked hard every single day to be the best she could. So, Robert had Gloria, a girl younger than Phiona, teach her the fundamentals of chess. Robert didn’t expect Phiona to come back because of all the teasing she suffered, but she came back the next day. The boys who had already been playing chess for a while made fun of her.
Robert was a Christian missionary who had a dream of empowering the kids of Katwe through the game of chess.
He led her to a dusty veranda where she met Robert for the first time. One day in 2005, while Phiona was searching for food on the streets of Katwe, she spotted her brother and decided to follow him. People search for food on the dangerous streets and often struggle to stay in one place for a long time because they can’t afford rent. Life in Katwe is tough-little or no education, poor sanitation, crimes, violence, and extreme poverty. The Queen of Katwe is a true story about an amazing Ugandan girl named Phiona Mutesi.
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