Yisrael Becomes 1st Female, African-American National Master In U.S.
The US Chess Federation announced on Monday that Shama Yisrael, a 20-year-old from Florida, has crossed the 2200 USCF rating barrier and will become the first female, African-American national master in the country's history when the rating lists are updated in August.
South Miami Chess Club played host to the historic moment when in round one of the Pinecrest Independence Open Yisrael scored a win over Frank Castillo, moving to a 2202 live rating in the process and taking a great step forward for a community that is underrepresented in chess.
Yisrael's new USCF rating will see her ascend to the rank of 40 in terms of U.S. women and, with the help of her coach, NM Otis Wilson, who runs "954 Chess" out of Broward, it's likely a matter of time until she also crosses the 2000 FIDE rating threshold. The following congratulator statement was made via 954 Chess' Facebook profile:
"954Chess would like to give a big congratulations to Shama Yisrael for making history and becoming the first African American female Chess Master! On her behalf, we'd like to give special thanks to the following people who have all contributed to her amazing journey:
Her mother Atarah for her patience and undying support, her coach NM Otis Wilson for all his efforts, unwavering support, and his never-ending belief in her abilities, her siblings, namely her sisters Shalam, Kolaiyah, Abiyah, and brother Melakah who have been the source of inspiration and her entire family, Stevie, Harold Richardson, Jon Haskel, Preston Williams, Isaac Jackson, Mario Marshall, the late George Hankerson Jr. and all the Black Knights members, Lucky and Vetra, Shomari and everyone who has supported and continue to support her through her career."
Yisrael's story is one of persistence, she has participated in more than 250 USCF events since 2014 and has been toiling away to gain the 200 points needed to go from a 2000 to 2200 rating for three years. During this time, Yisrael has crafted a versatile repertoire and plays both 1.e4 and 1.d4 regularly in tournaments, making her a difficult player to prepare for.
The NM-elect has also made a name for herself as a giant killer and recently held Serbian GM Aleksa Strikovic to a draw. Impressively, Yisrael also has several wins over 2100-2300 FIDE-rated players that have lasted less than 40 moves.
The U.S.' "Sunshine State" has a rich history of producing and attracting chess masters—the world number-two GM Fabiano Caruana was born in Miami, and the world number-three GM Hikaru Nakamura has a home in the suburb of Sunrise. When one of Nakamura's Kick viewers relayed the news that Yisrael had become the first female African-American master, he expressed his delight in her being a Florida resident.
