In 2011, Tim Crothers wrote about Phiona Mutesi, a teenage girl from the largest slum in Kampala, Uganda's capital city, who was ranked second among the nation's women chess players, for ESPN the Magazine. She is, he said, "the ultimate underdog. To be African is to be an underdog in the world. To be Ugandan is to be an underdog in Africa. To be from Katwe is to be an underdog in Uganda. To be a girl is to be an underdog in Katwe."
The Queen of Katwe expands that article to book length, enabling Crothers to probe into Phiona's background family. He also tells us about Phiona's mentor, Robert Katende, an evangelical missionary who started a youth outreach in Katwe.
Phiona followed her brother to the chess club and became fascinated by the game, emerging as one of the group's fiercest players. She was sent to the women's national tournament to gain experience competing against highly skilled players; she qualified for international competition and could have been the Ugandan champion if she hadn't given away a victory to help a teammate.
Chess has shown Phiona a world beyond Katwe--where one person can have an entire mattress to herself--but it hasn't provided her with a full escape. Returning home after winning her first tournament in another country, the young champion's main concern was whether her family would have enough food for breakfast the next morning. By the end of The Queen of Katwe, you'll join the ranks of those rooting for her success. --Ron Hogan, founder of Beatrice.com