It’s been a long while since I opened my cupboard, where I stored my nostalgias. I found a box, a black box, just curious to know what was inside. I opened it, and yes, it was a treasure—an old rakhi. Suddenly my mind uttered, "Fathima." A cute girl with a sweet voice and a radiant smile, my junior. An unexpected visitor who walked into my life and became a piece of my heart. My thoughts wandered back to her presence, to the days of my teenage years, To the times we shared, roaming the school corridors and playing on the grounds. The care you gave me, just like only a little sister could. It was you, my sister in spirit. The love you had for music and your dreams of playing the guitar, The moments we spent immer...
Phiona Mutesi is an Ugandan Chess player. She has represented as a Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympics, and is one of the first titled female Ugandan chess players.
Before becoming the Chess Champion, Phiona's life was a full of struggle and several problems. Phiona was born in poor family in Kathwe slum in Uganda. Her father died of AIDS. She was drop out from school at the age of nine because her family didn't had enough money to sent her to school. She and her family sold Maize in the street market. The situation of the family was very bad. Lack of food and money was the major problem. Poverty and recurrent floods make life hard for the thousands of people living there. And getting out of the slum is even more difficult.
One day she found a chess club in the neighborhood. From there she started to play the chess. It was in a chess class run by coach Robert Katende that Phiona and many other children like her learnt something they could apply to the rest of their lives. Katende calls it "tactical play." His classroom is full of kids gathered around chessboards, playing games, with intense focus.
At first, Phiona wasn't interested in the chess lessons. She was busy working, but her older brother Brian had signed up for Katende's chess program. And one day, the desire for a free meal became so overwhelming that Phiona followed him. That day she did a lot more than just fill her stomach, she discovered that she had a talent for chess. It turned out to be a life-changing moment. In 2010, Mutesi played six rounds on board two and one round on board one for Uganda at the women's event of the 39th Chess Olympiad, held in Khanty Mansiyk, Russia. She scored one-and-a-half points from the seven games she played.
As of 2012, she was a three-time winner of the Women's Junior Chess Championship of Uganda.
In 2013, she again played in the National Junior Chess Championship in Uganda and reached the finals against Lutaaya Shafiq of Makerere University. She won the under-20 girls category but not the open category.
Mutesi represented Uganda at the 2014 41st Olympiad and the 2016 42nd Second Chess Olympiad.
In 2012, a book was published about Mutesi titled The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster and authored by Tim Crothers.
In 2016, Mira Nair directed a biological drama future film called "Queen of Katwe" which depicts the life of Phiona Mutesi.
Phiona Muthesi is now a good inspiration to many girls. She is remembered by the name "The Queen of Katwe".
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