May 5, 2021
The popularity of chess has soared over the past year thanks to online options available during the pandemic and the popularity of the Netflix show “The Queen’s Gambit.” (Photo by Yuri Smityuk/TASS via Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Jericho Hall was 6 when she first saw a chessboard.
Hall’s grandfather showed her the pieces, puzzled by the distinct figures, numbers and letters around the wooden board in her home in Texas.
“I was intrigued by it because it was nothing I had seen before,” Hall said. “I found the instruction booklet on how to play chess and forced my grandpa to teach me. He had no idea how to play at the time, but he learned how to for me. I fell in love with the game at that moment.”