Meet UAE first female chess grandmaster who is just 15 years old
For Rouda Essa Alserkal, a chessboard was present at home from an early age. If her mother corrected the girls about reading to them at night to make sure she now reads wrong, then she could she become mesmerized by her dreams as a child asking her mom signing her up for chess club but when they went there, she was barred from entering because she was too young.
Rouda was only four, yet already moving the knight — a feat that many kids take weeks to learn. At 15 now, the International Chess Federation has appointed her a Woman Grandmaster — the first Emirati (and Gulf) woman to do so.
After she was turned away by the chess club, a coach named Hisham Al Argha discovered her talent. “He saw potential in me. He allowed me to join alongside him, was impressed that I already knew how to move the knight, and invited me to be a member of the club. My chess journey began at that point, as she added.
Rouda discovered her interest in chess at her first-ever tournament. I just loved the figuring it out on the board challenge. It was thrilling to win, but it was less about the victory and more the variety of every game and the infinite amount of knowledge to be gained. That is when I knew I wanted to challenge myself to see how far I could get," said the Abu Dhabi resident.
Rouda has worked on her game over her years. The basics are usually best to get acquainted with the pieces, so I began there. The more I played, the more I concentrated on strategy, openings, and endgames. I developed the ability not to think on my feet, but to think ahead and before long I started seeing patterns that aided me in following games.'
Rouda persevered, despite facing some challenges — balancing school with chess and some heartbreaking losses. Yeah, There were many times when it seemed like i had not improved at all but kept practicing and learning from my each mistake. It was hard, but slowly over time I started to see results!"
Rouda was simply ecstatic when she won her WGM title. I was so pleased and slightly relieved. Finally all that hard work had paid off. After a moment, I realized how far I had gone. That point was a milestone for me personally. It is also an important thing for the women chess in the uae. And I want other girls to follow my path in chess. Believe and then make it happen!"
On the horizon, Rouda has big plans. "I still want to work on my game and want my GM title. I am excited to test myself against the best in the world in the biggest events. Yes, I certainly have winning more world championships on my mind, but I think at this point in time all I want to do is develop and see just how far I take my chess career."'
Rouda has some advice for younger kids getting started. "Give yourself time, keep practicing. It will not be easy at first, it is easy to feel hard. Don’t get discouraged! Play as much as you can. The key is to learn from your mistakes and adapt. Instead of winning the game, concentrate on having fun and play the game. The more fun you can make it, the more motivation you will have to continue to improve!"
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