December 2001 - Nr. 13
Queen of the Board
Young German Woman Nears the Top
at World Chess Championships
TWIG - A German teenager joined the elite ranks of the chess world at championship games in Moscow this week. Under the gaze of grandmasters and top fans such as German Minister of the Interior Otto Schily, 16-year-old Elisabeth Paehtz acquitted herself well. The young international master defeated fourth-ranked Wang Pin of China to advance to the round of 16, before being defeated herself. Paehtz’s trainer Uwe Boensch said, "Elisabeth convinced us all, even if she is not yet a perfect player. She is on her way to being among the best in the world." Paehtz studied in her native Erfurt at a special school where chess training is incorporated into normal school courses. There she spent about 15-20 hours a week on chess, working with coaches, practicing independently and playing chess online. She has been a member of the German national chess team since 1999 and is ranked among the top ten players in the world under age 20.
