Nievevska Torres, 14, is a World School Chess champion from Peru. As she rises through the ranks, her father battles cancer and draws strength from her success. To defend her title, they must raise funds to travel. In the streets of Lima, people pay to play her, while the family sell homemade chocolates bearing her name. Together, they face life's toughest battles — one chess move at a time.
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00:00She's a teenage world school chess champion from Peru, striving to develop her talent.
00:07The truth is that every piece is valuable. Even a pawn worth only one point can become a great queen.
00:14For her whole life, Nieveska Torres has been coached by her father, Genaro.
00:20Now he needs her inspiration to fight his battle with cancer.
00:24Her progress in chess is helping him recover and get back on his feet.
00:29If you die, you have to die fighting. Don't let yourself be easily defeated. That's what I'm doing.
00:36Their struggles continue as they seek to raise money to attend the next major tournament,
00:42while hoping he stays well enough to travel with her.
00:46Daughter and father encouraging each other to keep advancing one move at a time.
00:59The historic center of Peru's capital, Lima.
01:05Nieveska is putting her talent on display.
01:08Onlookers stop to see if they can beat this 14-year-old at a game of chess.
01:14It's incredible!
01:18But the odds are against them. They're playing against a world champion.
01:24I'm already a FIDE master by winning a championship last year.
01:27My next goal is to become an international master and a grand master.
01:31My other dream is that all children would play chess.
01:35And children are among those inspired to take up her challenge.
01:40Chess is a thinking sport. That's why people should play it. It helps children in their capacity to think.
01:50Let's go, Nieveska! Let's go!
01:54Challengers pay for the privilege of losing.
01:57Others buy homemade chocolates, which is the only way the family can raise money to send her to tournaments.
02:04The chocolates were her mother Nievesa's idea.
02:07Playing chess was her father Genaro's idea.
02:10Now he's facing his own battle with cancer.
02:14The people of Peru support her. Little by little she's collecting money.
02:18I can't work because I have cancer and I have to take care of myself.
02:22I've asked for a bank loan to invest in my daughter, but I'm worried about the future because cancer is treacherous.
02:29The Torres family moved from their home in the region of Ica to an outer barrio of the capital Lima,
02:36where Gerardo teaches high school mathematics.
02:39In their basic apartment, Nieveska makes the chocolates.
02:44We're making chocolates with peanuts and raisins.
02:47She melts the chocolate, fills the moulds and packages the pieces, which are branded with her name.
02:55Her trophies show her progress in chess, which her father taught her to play.
03:00I started chess at about five or six years old, although my father first taught me checkers, then later chess.
03:10A funny anecdote I remember was playing with adults.
03:13When I beat them, some of them would get angry and throw the chess pieces or storm out, saying,
03:18How is it possible for a girl to beat me? Because they had just been roasted, and I was only half their size. Five or six years old. Just getting started.
03:31And she won, becoming a world champion.
03:44But her father, Gerardo, was in hospital, being treated for stomach cancer.
03:48It was there when they took the photo. I was on the podium in first place with my sign.
03:58It said, For you, Papa Gerardo. The victory that I won was for him.
04:05That news helped me. It lifted me up. Because that month I was depressed like never before. My head was weighed down. I rose up. I recovered my posture, and I got motivated.
04:16I started dancing. I have a video recorded in hospital showing me dancing when I found out about her triumph. So I felt very happy.
04:23I think that has healed me in some way. I have stage three cancer, which is very dangerous. I want to be able to live until that moment, when she achieves her aspirations.
04:36Like chess pieces, players must develop by leaving their starting square.
04:42Yevowska and her father have traveled across the continent to Uruguay to chase another major title.
04:49Today there will be nine rounds of Blitz chess. I'll see how I go playing rapidly.
04:54The South American Youth Chess Festival.
04:57Yevowska normally plays in all-female categories, but here she's pitted against boys for the opening day of Blitz chess.
05:04Each player gets three minutes and two seconds on the clock.
05:08Yevowska shows she can outwit many of her male counterparts. She wins most of her games.
05:14Male chess players are given more encouragement and prize money than females. Only around 2% of the top grandmasters are women.
05:23But Yevowska is inspired by Judith Polgar of Hungary, considered the greatest ever female chess player.
05:30Of course it's not impossible to beat a male. For example, Judith Polgar is a famous woman who faced Garry Kasparov.
05:39She beat him and changed the world. She became a strong trainer for women.
05:46Renato believes chess is empowering Yevowska and preparing her for whatever career she chooses.
05:52Fight for your life like you fight in chess. Fight for your life with everything.
05:58If you die, you have to die fighting. Don't let yourself be easily defeated. That's what I'm doing.
06:05After five days of play, Yevowska wins her second major title, Under-14 Female South American Youth Chess Festival Champion.
06:15Weeks later, back in Peru, she's showing her talent by competing against 15 players at the same time.
06:25These exhibitions allow new players to meet and learn from a champion.
06:30I hope you enjoy this simultaneous game, and good luck!
06:34The games begin with a handshake. And the same opening move on all boards, White Pawn to E4.
06:41It's a classic opener, which chess legend Bobby Fischer calls the best by test.
06:47She then dominates the center with her strong pieces.
06:51She wins all 15 games. For Yevowska, such exhibitions are for the benefit of the students.
07:06My next goal, apart from playing simultaneous games, when I'm older, is to become an international grandmaster
07:13and develop chess in the poor areas of Peru by playing these games, giving talks, and teaching the boys and girls.
07:24To prepare for tougher games ahead, Yevowska needs to level up.
07:28Today, she's playing FIDE master Fabian Ernesto Viva Zamora in a blitz game.
07:34She starts with her favorite opening, Pawn to E4. He responds with a Sicilian defense.
07:40She makes the first capture of the game, but he's the first to claim a check.
07:48The best defense is an attack, so she takes his queen with hers.
07:52The high-stakes move fails. He checks her again, this time forking her king and queen.
07:59She loses her most powerful piece.
08:03With seconds on the clock, she mounts a late-game scramble and steadily advances.
08:08He sends his last rook to her back line.
08:13She could fend off the nuisance, but she's out of time.
08:16He's so engrossed, he doesn't even notice his victory via the clock.
08:21Fabian has some advice for his young challenger.
08:23My advice would be to work on patience and try not to resolve moments of tension so quickly, but to question if you really gain anything from the changes or from resolving a tense situation.
08:37I have some resistance, but to last for four hours, I need to take care.
08:47What sport do you recommend for building endurance?
08:49Any sport that you like. It can be running or swimming or cycling, for example.
09:00Any sport with aerobic exercises, long duration and not too high intensity.
09:06She needs to be in top form for the Peru National Youth Chess Championship in Lima.
09:14Fourteen-year-old Nievewska is challenging herself by playing in the under-18 category.
09:19I'm analyzing the games of my rival to prepare to play against her.
09:27Parents are banned from the competition floor.
09:30Genaro is also looking on from the stands.
09:33There's bad news.
09:35Nievewska can't defend her title at the next World School Tournament in Europe because the family cannot afford to travel.
09:42Selling chocolates won't cover the cost.
09:44It's difficult because there are no resources. There's no support from the state or sponsors.
09:51Nievewska has made it to the final round in a strong position, but her last opponent has several years more experience.
09:59And Nievewska is playing black, putting her at a double disadvantage.
10:03Her opponent puts on the pressure, and Nievewska is feeling the heat.
10:08Soon, her king is forced into a retreat.
10:10With checkmate inevitable, Nievewska concedes the game.
10:16She takes the loss and the bad news about her European travel plans with good humor.
10:22It's a little sad there's no support for the champions, for me or for other young players.
10:28But you always have to know how to face things, and not get angry or sad.
10:33You always have to be at peace and happy, because another day of life is always good.
10:39Having lost in the final, she finishes second, in a category four years above her age.
10:49It's been a difficult but rewarding year for both daughter and father.
10:54Renato is keeping one move ahead of cancer, and gaining strength from his daughter's progress.
11:02Nievewska is advancing in her chess career, one tournament at a time, learning from her setbacks, and transforming from a small piece into a powerful player.
11:12Weeks later, at Lima International Airport, Nievewska is on her way to Europe.
11:21Her family has managed to borrow money to send her to defend her title at the next FIDE World School Chess Championship being held in Serbia.
11:29And her father, Renato, is well enough to go with her.
11:34I'm really happy that my father can accompany me to this tournament, considering what happened with his cancer, which was almost terminal.
11:42Despite that, he's always cared for me since I was little, my mother too.
11:47Thanks to chess, I've had several opportunities.
11:52For example, to develop well in school, to get good grades, to be able to speak, also to travel to other countries, to learn, to perform well in all I do, and to have a better relationship with my parents and others.
12:10Whether or not she wins more titles, Nievewska Torres is developing her chess career together with her father, which is already another great victory for this young champion.