This Ames 11-year-old is one of the highest rated chess players in Iowa. Here’s why.

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.