Local State Sen. Mike Barrett earlier this month welcomed to the State House Chelmsford’s Carissa Yip, renowned chess whiz and 5th grader at McCarthy Middle School.
Earlier this year, Carissa became the youngest female chess player to reach the level of expert since the U.S. Chess Federation began electronic record keeping in 1991. She is seeking to become the youngest female chess master, a title she has three years to attain.
Joined by her parents Percy and Irene, Carissa received an official citation from Sen. Barrett before he recognized her on the floor of the Senate. After giving her a rousing ovation, Senators lined up to meet the family.
Find out what's happening in Chelmsfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Barrett explained that he thought it was important to honor Carissa’s intellectual achievements. “We often recognize sports teams that win championships and rightly so,” Barrett said. “We should make sure we’re also praising academic wins.”
Percy Yip spoke about the relative lack of girls and young women he sees at chess competitions. “Girls like to play the game early on just as much as boys,” he said. “But they don’t play competitive chess at the same rate. I hope Carissa’s success will encourage young girls to start.”
Find out what's happening in Chelmsfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Earlier this year Carissa won the Under-11 state scholastic championship. Carissa is now among the top seven percent of the more than 51,000 registered U.S. players.
When Carissa met with Barrett, she told him about her travels to Slovenia and Tennessee -- the latter she liked best “because of the awesome hotel.” In December she is competing in the World Youth Chess Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
