Set sight on chess crown

Sixth-grader has sights on chess crown
By Ann Work
Posted February 20, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

Today’s the day Wichita Falls’ Claudia Munoz Robles has been waiting for.

The City View Elementary sixth-grader competes at the Texas State Scholastic Chess Championship in Dallas.

The seven-round, two-day event is held at the Downtown Sheraton.

Claudia has earned a title — Woman Candidate Master — that was awarded to her by the International Chess Federation in Greece when she was 9 after she won the North American Youth Chess Championship.

Now 12, the Wichita Falls native recently returned to the area after living and competing in Mexico for several years. This way, she’ll be closer to the Dallas competitions.

Today she’ll compete with 102 others in her category, where she’s ranked No. 14. She’s the only female player and the only Hispanic, making her the top Hispanic in the United States in her category.

More than 900 children have registered in all.

“She’s excited,” said her mother, Claudia Munoz. “She’s ready to be there.”

Here is the full article.