At the age of 12, Mariangel Vargas dreamed of becoming an “international grandmaster” of chess. This Colombian, who fled her country with her family, has already won a few tournaments, even though she knew nothing about chess just a year ago, when she arrived in New York. Some see her as a prodigy. Perhaps the start of a successful career.
4 mins
From our correspondent in New York,
In front of the chessboard, Mariangel Vargas has a closed face, she frowns, touches the thick black frame of her glasses, then with a half-smile on her lips, she takes action… “ Failure ! “, she warns. Opposite, Russ Makofsky must shelter his black king. A bad move made a few minutes earlier could cost him the game. “ Normally I win “, he said. “ But if I’m not focused, she never misses me! She’s becoming more and more formidable, or maybe it’s me who’s less and less good! », he adds with a big laugh.
Russ Makofsky and Mariangel Vargas met a year ago when the New Yorker set up bilingual English-Spanish chess workshops for migrant children who arrived with their families in the city.
Thanks to its foundation The Gift of Chess (“The Gift of Chess”), he was quickly able to offer lessons in public schools which received these new students, the vast majority of whom did not speak English and had never seen a chessboard.
The birth of a passion
“ I remember being very nervous at first », recalls Mariangel Vargas. “ I didn’t know anything about the rules of chess. » Very quickly, the girl, then aged 11, discovered a passion for the game and spent hours training. And as she progresses, her command of English improves and so does her performance at school, much to the delight of her parents.
“ At first I thought chess was like playing cards “, said Alexandra Gomez, Mariangel’s mother, smiling, before adding that she realized that this was teaching her daughter ” concentration, strategy and patience “, ” qualities that will help him succeed “.
“ Failures became very important to her », confides in turn Francisco Vargas, Mariangel’s father, who accumulates defeats on the chessboard against his daughter. He believes that this allowed the little girl to “ adapt better to your new life “.
A difficult journey
Because things are not always easy on a daily basis. Arriving in the United States fourteen months ago, the family is still living in an emergency shelter.
Francisco and his wife had to flee Colombia with their children because they were threatened because of their work with victims of the armed conflict in the country. “ So as not to scare them, I told the children that we were going on vacation », says Alexandra Gomez.
The family flies to Mexico, then crosses the desert on foot to the United States. A grueling journey. “ Mariangel cried constantly », recalls the mother. When they arrived in New York, the little girl “ doesn’t want to do anything, neither eat, nor go to school, nor go out “. His parents are worried: “ I told my husband that our little girl was going to become depressed. “. Everything changed when Mariangel discovered chess.
The revelation
In just a few months, the little girl progressed at phenomenal speed. Russ Makofsky entered her into local and then national tournaments, during which she caused a sensation. “ I can anticipate the moves in my head, without touching the pieces », explains Mariangel. With a mischievous smile and a look full of stars, she adds: “ I really like winning, but I also learned that it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about playing well. »
Today, Mariangel has three trophies and ten medals and is one of the fifty best players of her age in the United States. For Russ Makofsky, who introduced thousands of children to chess, “ there is no doubt that she has something special ” And ” that she has a bright future “.