Not the old Soviet training model

If this is going to be our approach to training girls in chess, then I suspect we might create more female adult players but probably not too many grandmasters and champions.

The All-Girls Chess Tournament is not run like a standard U.S. Chess Federation challenge, with timers and rankings and complicated rules, said Sharon Buttram, chess club moderator at Daniels Run. The format, where the girls play three games each and all receive medals at the tournament's end, emphasizes having fun over winning at all costs, said Buttram.

"It's a silly game boys play, saying, 'Oh, I'm going to beat you,'" said Oak View chess club moderator Roshna Kapadia. Girls respond better to appreciation of the game rather than pure competition, she said.

Read "Chess Queens at Daniels Run" from the Fairfax (VA) Connection.