Jessica Hyatt is now the youngest African-American woman National Chess Master in U.S. history, having achieved this feat at the age of 19. She holds three major chess titles: National Master, Candidate Master, and Woman Candidate Master.
Hyatt said she nearly couldn’t believe the weight of the news when asked how she felt about making history.
“I was excited,” she told News 12 Brooklyn. “I didn’t even know it was a record.”
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She started playing chess for the first time on a computer game when she was three years old.
“It was one of the games that I fell in love with,” Hyatt said.
The game of chess was reintroduced to Hyatt when she was a student at Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts, a public charter school in Brooklyn that educates students in grades K–12.
By the tenth grade, Hyatt had been awarded a $40,000 college scholarship, based on her graduation from Success Academy High School of Liberal Arts.
Hyatt was named the divisional state champion in 2019 after winning the U/1800 division at the state championships with a perfect 6–0 record. Her growing reputation in competitive chess was further cemented when she finished second in the All-Girls City Chess Championships the following year.
“I just play chess because it’s fun,” the teen remarked. “I like finding and building plans to win the game.”
According to Science Spirit, Hyatt’s victory over Grandmaster Michael Rohde in 2021 instantly improved her standing in the competitive chess scene. An even more remarkable triumph came the following year when Jessica triumphed over Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra, a chess prodigy who had gained fame as one of the youngest grandmasters in history.
With almost 2200 ranking points, Hyatt is now proudly ranked among the top 30 ranking female chess players in the country, demonstrating her love for the game and her will to keep improving.
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According to the US Chess Federation’s 2024 rankings, she was ranked #1 among girls aged 18 and under.
“There’s a lot of things to learn about chess; it’s not just a game you can master, there’s always something to learn,” Hyatt told News12 Brooklyn.
To reach her next goal, Hyatt plans to compete in two national tournaments at the renowned Marshall Chess Club in New York City.
“I want to eventually get to Grand Master or start to train chess to a huge group of people,” she said ahead of the game.
The highest ranking title in chess is Grandmaster (GM) status. It is bestowed upon a player by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the governing organization for competitive chess. According to Next Level Chess, once obtained, the Grandmaster title is reserved for life.
One must meet three Grandmaster Norms and have a FIDE Rating of at least 2500 in order to become a Grandmaster. Each Grandmaster Norm should have the following criteria: At least 9 rounds of tournaments; 1/2 of the opponents must be titled players (FM, IM, GM, WGM, WIM); and 1/3 of the opponents must be Grandmasters, as well as a 2600 rating performance.
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