12-year-old migrant student becomes chess prodigy

NEW YORK CITY (NETTV) – A 12-year-old migrant student in New York City is becoming the queen of chess.

Mariangel Vargas started playing the classic board game only about a year ago and she’s picked it up quickly.

She’s now ranked in the top 50 chess players in the U.S. for her age, according to The Gift of Chess charity.

Mariangel’s family moved to the U.S. from Colombia in 2022. They said they were escaping from the gang violence in their country.

Once her family settled into New York, Mariangel found out about chess lessons from a flyer at her school.

She said she would like to eventually become a Grandmaster, the highest ranking a chess player can receive.

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