Brooklyn chess star battles the pressure of expectations

The documentary was released during the teen’s senior year at Brooklyn Tech. Ballantyne was a sudden star, not to mention a pioneer as one of the few black females at the top of the game.

She flew to California when “Brooklyn Castle” was nominated for an NAACP Image award, and she was profiled in Teen Vogue.

She knows people expect her succeed. Ultimately, she will, she said, but not for others or even herself.

She wants to become a chess master for her grandmother, who insisted that she take up the game and died while the documentary was being filmed.

In the meantime, Ballantyne tries to remember the things that attracted her to chess in the first place.

She still enjoys a good pick-up match, and relishes the opportunity to school an opponent.

On a recent weekday, Ballantyne walked into New York Chess and Games on Flatbush Ave. and the owner, Christian Whitted, immediately recognized her and challenged her to a speed game. She beat him two games in a row.

“I get really happy when there’s no stakes — and it’s just you, me and the chess board,” she said afterward. “It’s pure bliss.”

Article Appeared @http://blackstarjournal.org/?p=3860

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