In March of this year, more than two hundred students gathered to compete in a game of precision, strategy and concentration: chess.

Brandon Fang Jun-qiao and Annabel Chang, students at The ISF Academy, were among the top players in the annual ISF Academy Chess Open.

The players, both aged 11, have been practising the game for years. Annabel started playing at three years old after being inspired by her brother, who also played chess.

“I thought it was fun how you come up with strategies to infiltrate the opponent’s position,” she recalled.

Brandon, who started learning chess at school, said, “I think it’s fun because I like playing games that include technique and strategy.”

Brandon practises around three hours a week and plays chess online and with some of his Chess Academy classmates.

His hard work paid off at the chess open, where he won first place in the Upper Primary section, comprising 131 participants.

Brandon, Annabel, and teammates Maximus Pang and Chase Xuanfu Yau – who also attend The ISF Academy – also won first place in the Upper Primary Team category.

“I felt proud,” Brandon said, “winning two times in a row.”

Annabel was relieved when her team won. “There are a lot of good players, and there was a lot of pressure,” she said.

Brandon and Annabel said chess was popular among kids their age but tends to be male-dominated. “I think a lot of girls aren’t exposed to chess,” Annabel said.

Still, she said that gender does not determine a person’s skill level. “It doesn’t matter their gender, [anyone] can do well.”