This Saturday at the Silverdale Chess Club: A Very Special Event!

This Saturday, at 2:30 pm, we are hosting a very special online presentation at the Silverdale Chess Club. This exclusive event will feature an interview and Q&A session with the author of the just released, best-selling, young adult novel about chess and chess players on the large display screen in the Silverdale Library Salish Room.

Like a family-friendly version of The Queen's Gambit, this engaging new book, titled May the Best Player Win! delves into the world of middle school chess tournaments, exploring the friendships, rivalries, and life lessons learned by boys and girls who compete fiercely on the chessboard. 

Through her book, author Kyla Zhao captures the emotional highs and lows of chess competition while highlighting the personal growth that comes from pursuing excellence in chess. 

The event is being held amidst the global excitement leading up to the World Chess Championship this November which will be hosted in Kyla's home country of Singapore. This year’s championship promises to be a historic one, as it's the first one ever contested by two Asian players: the defending champion, Ding Liren, is from China and faces off against R. Gukesh from India, the first teenager to compete for the world champion title, another parallel with the book.       

Kyla is a graduate of Stanford University and was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Her books have been featured by CBS, NBC, ABC, Good Morning America, Buzzfeed, Vogue, and more. 

May the Best Player Win has received praise from three current and former US Women's Chess Champions as well as several New York Times-bestselling authors. In fact, another female chess player from Stanford University, Carissa Yip, has just won the United State Women’s Chess Championship this week — and for the third time!

Whether you have zero chess knowledge or are an experienced player, this event offers a unique opportunity to hear from an author with deep ties to the chess community, as well as to explore the broader global chess culture.