Queen of Katwe

One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende.

Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream; to empower kids in the Katwe slum through chess — a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying a chess board in the dirt, Robert began to teach. At first children came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love the game that — like their daily lives — requires persevering against great obstacles. Of these kids, one girl stood out as an immense talent: Phiona.

By the age of eleven Phiona was her country's junior champion, and at fifteen, the national champion. Now a Woman Candidate Master — the first female titled player in her country's history —Phiona dreams of becoming a Grandmaster, the most elite level in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable countries. The Queen of Katwe is a remarkable and inspirational book that shows how Thiona's story transcends the limitations of the chessboard