Susanne Wells is one of South Australia’s Under 18 female chess players. Currently studying in Year 11 at Adelaide High School, she participates regularly in both team and individual tournaments.
We stole a few minutes of her time at a recent tournament in Adelaide to ask her some questions about what it’s like to compete in a typically male-dominated sport.
Chesslife: What do you like about chess?
Susanne: I appreciate the logic and calculation in chess. Also, I enjoy attacking and playing aggressive chess.
Chesslife: Who is your favourite chess player?
Susanne: There are a lot of chess players that I admire. Some of them may not be that good on the international stage but they are still exemplars and role models for me.
My two favorite players would have to be Fabiano Caruana (one of the top players in the world) and David Smerdon (an Australian grandmaster).
I also look up to Hou Yifan (who is the strongest female player in the world) and hope to follow in her footsteps.
Chesslife: What do you like about playing all girls compared to mixed tournaments where you play boys and girls?
Susanne: Playing against other girls in the Australian Junior Chess Championship U18 Girls was a rare experience for me. I have only played in four girls-only tournaments in my life and this was the fourth.
Generally, woman’s tournaments are easier than mixed tournaments. I think this is not because girls are generally worse than boys at chess, it is because we have a smaller pool of players. Unfortunately, it seems that less girls take chess seriously than guys.
I prefer playing in woman’s tournaments because I have a higher chance of winning, but I do know that playing in mixed tournaments is better as I learn more. I believe that we learn more losing than winning, even though we all prefer to win our games.
(Photo courtesy of @DaffodilDayChess)
Chesslife: How many girls do you know that play chess, and do you think there is a difference between playing against girls or boys?
Susanne: In South Australia, there are only about 5-6 girls my age that play chess out of school. We all know each other and are a close-knit group of friends. I do also have a team of girls that I am training up for school chess.
I am very lucky to have found a team that takes chess seriously and enjoy it. I give them extra coaching at lunchtimes and hopefully we will get to National Interschool Championships!
(Photo courtesy of @DaffodilDayChess)