A chess team coming out of Detroit’s University Prep Science & Math claimed victory in the Under 14 category at the 13th annual KCF All-Girls National Championships Sunday, the Detroit News reports.
“I was pretty amazed,” Jada Hamilton, 13, told the news site. “It’s hard to describe how I felt that day because I was really happy.”
It was Jada’s victory Sunday that led to her team winning the overall championships, which were presented by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, U.S. Chess Federation and Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation.
The youths, who are all active in the Detroit City Chess Club, were among more than 440 players participating, organizers said.
Head coach Kevin Fite told the Detroit News that although they have previously competed in this contest, this year represented “a significant win.”
“We’ve won a lot of other national tournaments, but we’ve never won this one. … We were considerably the underdog in that section,” Fite said.
“They put in a lot of hard work,” Jada’s mom, Kamisha Hamilton, said of Jada and Jada’s twin sister, Jaidyn, who also competed. “They were really determined.”
“We always tell them, every place they go, they represent Detroit. It’s a wonderful showing,” assistant coach Kwabena Shabu added.
Read more at the Detroit News.