Bedford-Stuyvesant
Chess success
Success Academy Bed-Stuy Middle School students placed second in the Kasparov Chess Foundation All-Girls National Championship last weekend in Chicago.
The charter school’s two fiercest competitors were eighth-graders Geah Jean Baptiste and Jessica Hyatt. Baptiste placed fourth out of 61 players in her division, while Hyatt tied for seventh.
Hyatt, the academy’s highest-rated chess player, recently won the New York State Chess Championship, and dreams of one day being the first African-American female chess master. Currently, she stands as one of the top 10 black women chess players in the United States.
Baptiste and Hyatt’s chess teacher Tyrell Harriott is hopeful about the upcoming championship.
“I’m thrilled with the team’s performance. Geah, in particular, played incredibly strong this weekend. Next up, Junior High Nationals!” said Harriott.
Success Academy will send its top seven student chess teams to Texas for the 2019 National Junior High Championship. As of now, Hudson Yards Middle School and Bed-Stuy Middle School are first and third.
“The goal going into the championship is to place first. They are going in a lot stronger this year,” said Press Associate for Success Academy Charter Schools, Liz Baker.
