Help 9-year-old Skye pursue her successful chess career!

Hello, my name is Wael Attieh, I am Skye’s father, and here’s why we’re fundraising!

At the mere age of 8, and by virtue of her constant achievements, the last of which was finishing 2nd in the Lebanese women’s championship, Skye has been selected for the women’s national team that will represent Lebanon in the chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary this September. She will definitely be one of the youngest participants and your help is very much needed for her to be in top form and to fulfill her dream!

What follows is a short description of where we stand now.

Skye is an extremely talented 8-year-old chess player. At the age of 6, she was ranked first in the world in her age category for a whole year in all 3 time controls: Classical, rapid, and blitz.

Last year, she played in the world cadet chess championship; her first experience abroad. Despite minimal professional guidance, she managed to finish 12th (tied with 8th place).

A month later, she played in the Asian cadet championship, which is on par with the world championship due to its extreme competitiveness, and finished in 7th place (tied with 5th).

Skye has clearly shown that she can compete with the best of the best, but in order to do so, she must have some of the benefits that top players enjoy: sponsorships, coaches, etc…

Due to the economic crisis that befell our country Lebanon, and which has been described as the worst economic crisis in modern history, it has become next to impossible to finance her journey individually. Skye’s raw talent, along with her incredible potential and capabilities, must be given a chance to grow! The amount of 10.000$ covers her chess-related expenses for a whole year, including coaching fees and travel expenses to take part in important tournaments, without which she wouldn’t have the chance to fulfill her potential. These tournaments include: The world cadet championship, the Asian Championship, the Arab championship, and the Olympiad! Due to her young age, she always needs to be accompanied by at least one parent, which increases costs. The lack of funds is causing her to miss out on great opportunities. For instance, at the moment of typing out these words (May 1st), Skye is ranked 2nd in the world in rapid, and 4th in blitz, and we failed to help her participate in the world cadet rapid and blitz championship which wrapped up 2 days ago. My hope is for her to be given the chance she deserves!

I have faith that generous donors will propel Skye to the top!