Girls in Chess

We are a non-profit organization, created in 2024, based in NYC, and co-founded by Elian Sonnenberg and Amélie Acevedo. We are striving to make chess more accessible to the next generation of female players.

Our Team

About Us

Founded in New York City, our organization is dedicated to breaking down gender barriers in the world of chess, empowering girls to take on challenges both on and off the board. We believe that the chessboard should be a level playing field, where strategy, intelligence, and determination are the true markers of success—not gender. Our mission is to create an inclusive environment that encourages girls and young women to not only participate in women-only tournaments but to also compete in open tournaments alongside their male peers, thus challenging chess as it exists today.

Our approach focuses on education and mentorship, and we provide promising young female talents with the coaching they need to succeed. Our chess lessons are led by top-rated players in the field and experienced coaches who serve as role models, demonstrating that success in chess is achievable regardless of gender. These coaches provide guidance, support, and inspiration, helping these girls to navigate the challenges of competitive play while building confidence in their abilities.

We hope to one day dismantle fully the barriers between females and males in chess by encouraging FIDE to remove women’s-only tournaments and instead have both boys and girls play together in open tournaments from the moment they start out in chess. Currently, according to Chess.com, only 13% of USCF players are women, and only 11% of FIDE players are women. Through our efforts, we hope to increase that number significantly.

Our Scholarship & What It Entails

This scholarship provides young girls with access to weekly coaching with chess grandmasters and other top players. Scholarship recipients will typically start with group lessons, at which point they will be placed with individual coaches for one-on-one sessions. These lessons will be 1-2 times per week.

The scholarship will also cover membership fees for tournaments local to the recipient , as well as weekly tournament fees. The scholarship will NOT, however, cover fare (such as via plane) to out of state tournaments or associated fees.

Who Should Apply?

We are looking for hardworking young girls under the age of 18, who have demonstrated promise through exceptional tournament results thus far in their careers. Girls applying should be eager to learn, resilient, and willing to put in the work that it takes to see results in the form of increased rating and recognized titles.

This scholarship is a chance to provide young, lower-income female chess players, with the financial and educational tools they need to go far in the chess world.

First priority will go to players with demonstrated need, as indicated through the application questions.

Application

Basic Background

  1. What is your name?
  2. What is your age (in years and months), and where are you from?
  3. How did you find out about this scholarship?
  4. How long have you been playing chess?
  5. What is your current USCF rating? How many USCF-rated tournaments have you played in?
  6. Do you have a FIDE rating?
  7. Do you play chess online? What platform do you use (Chess.com, lichess, etc.)? What is your username?
  8. Do you have a chess coach? How many hours of chess coaching have you received?
  9. How much time (in hours) do you dedicate weekly to chess (outside of tournaments)?
  10. What are your goals in chess? What rating/title are you hoping to achieve?
  11. Would you be willing to play almost solely in open chess tournaments rather than women-only tournaments?

Free Response Questions

  1. What inspired you to first start playing chess? 
  2. Describe a time you felt challenged during a chess game and how you overcame it.
  3. Why do you believe you would be a good fit for this scholarship?
  4. What has been the most important advice you have recieved about what’s required to become a great chess player?
  5. Name one chess player you admire, either male or female. What do you admire about this person?

Please provide answers to the questions above in the form of a Google Doc or PDF, and email it to girlsinchessorg@gmail.com. We look forward to getting to know you!

Socials and Contacts

    Gmail: girlsinchessorg@gmail.com