She’s a champ

Diana Sahagun

Saturday, Aug. 22, 1998 | 10:38 a.m.

At 5 feet 4 inches and 90 pounds, she's just like any other 12-year-old girl. She eats Spaghetti-O's for dinner, dreams of playing in the Women's National Basketball Association and loves the Chicago Bulls.

But what sets her apart from other kids her age is that she's a chess champ -- and soon she will have the chance to prove it to the world.

Nicole Niemi, who will be a sixth-grader at Molasky Junior High School, will represent the United States during the 1998 FIDE World Youth Chess Championships in Europe in less than two months. She is the only girl in her age group -- 12 and younger -- to be selected to compete from the United States.

Does the enormity of the competition faze the Las Vegas resident?

"I'm ready," she says matter-of-factly.

About 150 competitors from all over the world will be in Castellon, Spain, Oct. 24 to Nov. 7. Nicole will play one round of chess each day, six hours per game.

"I'm not sure I can sit that long, I've never played a six-hour game," she said, the only concern she mentioned even in passing.

Even though she is only 12, her determination is well beyond her years as she is ready to accept the challenge of representing her country.

"It feels good to know I am going, I never thought I would get that far," she said. "A lot of kids don't get the chance, and I have always wanted to represent the United States, but I never thought it would happen."

Her game plan?

"I want to play hard and win."

You could say chess is in her blood, especially since her father and coach, Greg Niemi, was last year's Nevada State-Closed Chess Champion in a competition open only to Nevada residents.

But as Nicole sits down for a quick game of "blitz" (speed chess) with him, she boasts, "I beat him once at speed chess!"

Nicole became interested in chess four years ago after watching her first tournament, much to her father's surprise.

"I don't know (why I started)," she said. "It looked interesting. It's fun and I like to win and play. It's a long, cool game."

Her father, who had been playing chess for 20 years, said he was surprised when she asked him to teach her, and says she started later than most child prodigies.

"Most kids who become U.S. (chess) representatives would have started at age 3 or 4. She had a late start compared to other U.S. reps," he said.

Despite her late start, she makes up for it.

She is the current 10th grade and under Nevada State Scholastic Chess Champion and the Nevada State Middle School Champion, eighth grade and under. She ranked 25th out of 300 in the nation for all fourth- to sixth-graders in the All-American Cup last year.

Every other weekend she plays in local tournaments, gaining experience competing against older players.

"Training her with adults will make playing against kids so much easier. Her confidence has been built by playing the toughest competitors," her father said.

Nicole beat her first "expert" in April and her first "master" two months ago. The master was her one-time coach, Stan Vaughan, which she says was her favorite experience.

"I beat Stan in a three-day tournament. It was pretty cool because I never beat him before," she said.

Master status, such as Vaughan's, is determined on a number scale derived from competition results against other players. Any chess player rated 2200 or above is considered a master. A grandmaster generally is rated at 2500 and above, but must compete at the grandmaster level in at least three international tournaments to earn that title, the highest in chess. The world's best player, Gary Kasparov, is rated a little above 2800. Experts are those players rated between 2000 and 2200.

Nicole is rated at above 1500, which is the average rating for all 80,000 tournament players rated by the U.S. Chess Federation. It's highly unusual for a player her age to be rated that high. Her father said the way she is going, she will be a master by the time she is 15.

Nicole is coached by her father under the Russian Training System, which places an emphasis on tactics instead of opening theory. The former Soviet Union produced the best chess players in the world on average, although a few American players, such as Paul Morphy of the last century and Bobby Fischer, who won the world championship in 1972, have surpassed even the brightest Russian stars.

"This system involves doing large numbers of problems each week, like chess positions," Vaughan said.

"Not many people use this system," her father said. "We use it, combined with having her play in adult-level competitions. That's why she's a champion."

So what is the formula for a champion?

"Nicole is exceptional at fast-time limits and calculating combinations," Vaughan said.

Her father says it is her middle game.

To Nicole, her strategy is much more simple.

"I develop my pieces and attack," she says with a smile.

Although adult participation in chess tournaments has declined, the future looks bright because more young players such as Nicole have taken up chess. More than half of the members of the U.S. Chess Federation are teenagers or younger.

No matter the age, the benefits of learning and playing this game may go beyond the chess board, studies suggest.

In 1993, USA Today reported that playing chess could boost students' reading scores, instill self-confidence, improve the ability to think rationally and more.

Nicole said she was not sure if chess helps her in school, but admitted she has a high level of concentration for homework. She loves math and will be enrolled in accelerated math this year. Although she is unaware of any change in her grades because of chess, the USA Today study cited that playing chess can result in higher grades in math and English.

Her father agrees.

"Chess teaches you to concentrate, helps your logic, development and your school grades," he said.

What strategies does her coach instill in young champions?

"I coach her in her opening. We go over games to show her mistakes, improvements. If she loses, we find out what she did wrong so she will know not to do a strategy that didn't work," he said. "I try to get her to slow down. Lots of times she'll make one mistake, and then there's not much you can do to come back."

She said the worst thing about chess is the feeling she gets when she loses or makes a mistake.

"I just get so frustrated in my head. I get so mad, but I don't yell it out. I just try to get the piece back."

When not concentrating on chess, she plays with friends, rides her bike and watches baseball -- the Chicago Cubs are her favorite team.

Some of her nonchess playing friends don't understand her love for the game, she admits.

"They just say 'good luck,'" she said.