Jessica Kobeissy and first lady Nehmat Aoun. (Credit: Mohammad Kobeissy.)
Once the preserve of a few dedicated enthusiasts, chess in Lebanon is undergoing a quiet revival: new clubs are opening, tournaments are drawing larger crowds, and young players are increasingly captivated by the game. Leading this chess renaissance are 8-year-old Jessica Kobeissy and 10-year-old Skye Attieh. While Lebanon awaits its first grandmaster — the highest title awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) — these two young prodigies have been making waves on the international chess scene, winning against opponents many times their age. Jessica started playing chess when she was five and a half years old, after watching her older brother play. “I said, ‘If he’s playing, I want to play too!’” she recalls. A few months later, she won the national U6 championship. Jessica Kobeissy and all her medals and trophies. (Credit:...
Once the preserve of a few dedicated enthusiasts, chess in Lebanon is undergoing a quiet revival: new clubs are opening, tournaments are drawing larger crowds, and young players are increasingly captivated by the game. Leading this chess renaissance are 8-year-old Jessica Kobeissy and 10-year-old Skye Attieh. While Lebanon awaits its first grandmaster — the highest title awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) — these two young prodigies have been making waves on the international chess scene, winning against opponents many times their age. Jessica started playing chess when she was five and a half years old, after watching her older brother play. “I said, ‘If he’s playing, I want to play too!’” she recalls. A few months later, she won the national U6 championship. Jessica Kobeissy and all her medals and...
