Irene Fei isn’t like most her age.

While most consider 11-year-olds as rambunctious pre-teens who struggle to sit still, Irene is just the opposite. Every day after school, the sixth-grader from Ames spends hours at her family’s kitchen table meticulously theorizing the game that has made her an international champion: chess.

In October, Irene traveled to Asunción, Paraguay, and brought home gold in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Pan-American School Chess Championship in the under-13 girls section. This was her third overall FIDE championship after she won tournaments in Chicago and Panama in 2021 and 2022.

The victory also earned her the distinction of becoming the youngest woman FIDE Master in the Americas. Irene is currently the No. 1 rated women’s chess player and the 15th overall chess player in Iowa, according to the United States Chess Federation. She is the only woman to crack the top 100 in the state, with the next closest woman ranking 104th overall.

Irene’s father, Zhe Fei, said it’s rare for her to play against kids her age and that many of her competitors have been playing chess longer than Irene has been alive. Whether it’s beating kids her age or those more than twice as old as her, Irene said it all feels the same.

“Winning is winning, and it always feels good to win,” she said.

‘It’s like art to me.’ How an 11-year-old chess master got her start in Iowa

Irene first started playing chess in kindergarten after joining Glibert’s after-school chess club.

“After a couple of days attending [the club], the chess coach really emphasized Irene’s abilities, and we started taking it seriously since then and got her a coach,” Zhe Fei said.

Besides her chess skills, Zhe Fei said Irene’s strengths are her ability to stay patient during her chess matches — which he said can run between three and four hours long — and her never abandoning the game plan even when facing adversity.

Irene said she was drawn to chess because it satisfied her competitive personality, and the game requiring you to strategize to win.

“It’s beautiful sometimes, like when you’re in difficult positions, and you must find your way out of them to win,” she said. “It’s like art to me.”

‘I’m learning from her.’ Father picks up chess as 11-year-old player from Iowa racks up championship wins

Besides Panama and Paraguay, Zhe Fei, Irene, and her mother, Yan Jiao, have traveled to places such as Peru for her to play chess. In the U.S., she has competed in tournaments in Florida, California, Pennsylvania and tournaments across the Midwest. Irene said her favorite place she has visited so far due to chess was Lima, Peru.

“The food there was actually very good, and the fruit was very sweet,” she said. “There were also cultural toys and magnets that I got to bring home that I liked.”

Since Irene began playing chess, Zhe Fei said he has started playing it himself. While he considers himself an average chess player, he said he is no match for Irene.

“She is a much stronger player than myself,” he said. “I serve as one of her training partners and will offer suggestions occasionally, but most of the time, I’m learning from her.”

When she’s not playing chess, Irene said she enjoys swimming and working on math homework. She also enjoys teaching chess to her little brother, Ryan.

“He’s only in kindergarten, so he has a long way to go to be competitive with Irene,” Zhe Fei joked.

What’s next for 11-year-old chess master from Ames, Iowa?

Irene said she would continue to travel and compete in chess tournaments until she reaches Gilbert High School when she will slow down and focus on her athletics.

“We know traveling and competing in these tournaments can be a rollercoaster for her and that it comes at a big sacrifice,” Zhe Fei said.

“We, as her parents, are very proud of her, and as long as she continues to enjoy it, we’ll keep supporting her.”

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa women’s basketball team took care of Toledo Wednesday night winning 94-57. The Hawkeyes improve to 3-0 on the season.

Sydney Affolter returned to the starting lineup. Iowa’s defense dominated the Rockets only allowing 21 points in the first half.

Hannah Stuelke led the Hawkeyes with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Taylor McCabe and Lucy Olsen followed scoring 14 points. McCabe had 4 three-pointers against the Rockets which was a team-high.

The Hawkeyes will hit the road on Sunday to face in-state rival Drake at 2 P.M.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

One of the most profitable beer and food concessions at the Iowa State Fair is up for grabs in 2025 after the fair board decided Wednesday to discontinue a contract with its operators, a prominent Des Moines couple who failed to pay employees, vendors and a portion of concession fees after this year’s fair.

Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said fair staff will be preparing a request for proposals for those interested in operating Steer N’ Stein, which occupies a large stand across from the administration building on the fairgrounds. It recorded more than $1.28 million in sales at this year’s fair, which ran from Aug. 3-13.

Parsons said the decision to end the annual contract with former Adventureland Resort CEO Michael Krantz and his wife Kimberly came after fair staff decided the pair failed to meet contractual obligations and operations standards as concessionaires, including maintaining good business practices.

The fair sent a letter Nov. 7 to Michael Krantz, forbidding the removal of any personal items from the fair-owned Steer N’ Stein building until the fair receives $102,000 in concession fees still due from the 2024 fair.

More: An Iowa State Fair food vendor that didn’t pay employees owes the fair more than $100,000

Parsons said in an interview after Wednesday’s fair board meeting that fair staff also would be re-examining bylaws and policies in the coming year to try to avoid similar problems with future concessionaires. Changes, he said, are likely “as the fair grows in popularity, and as food and beverage sales become more important, and money is involved.”

Steer N’ Stein operators face accusations of nonpayment

To date, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has received at least 14 wage claims from Steer N’ Stein employees who said they didn’t get paid, didn’t receive correct tips, or had paychecks bounce.

Steer N’ Stein reported to fair officials that it experienced an almost 5% decrease in sales this year, though the fair had record attendance. The 2024 fair drew almost 1.183 million people, 4% more than the 1.134 million it drew in 2023.

The Krantzes also are accused in a Polk County civil lawsuit of owing another $218,582 to a local business that provided them services leading up to the fair. Parsons said at least one other Steer N’ Stein contractor also has complained of not getting paid.

Michael Krantz did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. He has given several reasons for the couple’s failure to pay debts since Watchdog in an Oct. 23 column reported the wage theft allegations.

He initially said in a statement the payment failures were “beyond our control,” caused by technical flaws in his company’s payment processing system. Later, he said it had temporary cash flow problems resulting from a change in how the fair collects funds from vendors.

Spokeswoman Mindy Williamson said the fair this year gave vendors the option of paying their concession fees online using automated clearing house money transfers. The limit for automated transfers was $100,000 per day, but other forms of payment were acceptable.

In a statement last week through a law firm representing him, Krantz said he was “working diligently and quickly to assure that anyone owed money from this year’s State Fair is paid,” adding that “all outstanding obligations will be resolved very soon.”

Krantzes are former owners of Adventureland; face lawsuit in child’s death there

The Krantz family is the former owner of Adventureland, the Altoona amusement park started 50 years ago by Michael Krantz’s father, Jack. It was sold in December 2021 following fatal injury the previous July of an 11-year-old boy in an accident on the park’s Raging River Ride. The Krantzes have faced large legal bills — and potential liability — tied to a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit stemming Michael Jaramillo’s death and severe injuries to his older brother, David.

The Krantzes had been big donors to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation, contributing more than $182,700 as patrons or bidders in silent auctions since June 2022. But according to the fair, they also have not paid an invoice for a $5,000 sponsorship table at this year’s Corndog Kickoff, a fundraiser for fairgrounds renovations.

Steer N’ Stein, which serves beer, breakfast and burgers, has been a mainstay at the fair for 53 years. It was rebuilt after burning down in 1999, when it was under the management of longtime operator George Kranovich.

Lee Rood’s Reader’s Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.