Like most chess-playing children, 5-year-old Paula Hernandez got into the game because of the fascinating knight. 

But her initial interest was short-lived, and she left the 64 squares to do what kids of her age usually do.

It wasn’t until Paula was 10 when she returned to chess. She played in a tournament after only 15 days of training. But when she finished 24th out of 84 participants, that’s when she knew “this is mine.”

And sure enough, she owned!

Just a little over a month ago, Paula played in the LXVII National and International Open Mexican Chess Championship. She scored 5.5/7 in the U16 Girls category, bagging the first prize without dropping a game.

But even this stellar performance was eclipsed by her run at the 2022 National CONADE U16 Championships. It was an action-packed five-day event, which featured four different tournaments…

And Paula participated in all of them!

Her passion for chess is impressive, but even more so are her “clean” first-place finishes at the classical and blitz categories. No. Games. Lost.

But here’s the icing: she became the first female player to win the open blitz portion in 10 years. Plus, she also earned five gold medals in five days — setting the tournament’s record for the highest number of gold medals won by a girl.

With her string of record-breaking successes, it’s no surprise Paula will play in her first Olympiad soon.

We can only be delighted by her progress. But hearing from Paula herself how Chessable X FIDE Academy lessons propelled her to her current peak? Now that’s heart-warming. 

“They have been very helpful!” she asserted. 

“Many of the topics we tackle in the lectures were often overlooked in my personal training… Thank you very much for the classes because they helped me achieve my latest tournament win.”

And the Chessable courses?

“I personally love them! It is much easier to learn openings. The authors are top players, and they are super clear… I have already used them in tournaments,” she recounted.

Congratulations, Paula! We wish you the best on your first Olympiad.

References:

FIDE profile: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/5146798

LXVII Campeonato Nacional e Internacional Abierto Mexicano de Ajedrez Chihuahua 2022 Sub 16 Femenil, no losses: https://ratings.fide.com/calculations.phtml?id_number=5146798&period=2022-05-01&rating=0

32 Festival Panamericano de Ajedrez de la Juventud U16 Girls, shared 2nd: https://chess-results.com/tnr650693.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=4&fed=MEX&flag=30

Nacionales CONADE 2022 Sub 16 Ajedrez Blitz, 6.0/7 no losses: https://chess-results.com/tnr645676.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30

Nacionales CONADE 2022 Sub 16 Femenil, Classical, 5.0/6 no losses: https://chess-results.com/tnr643901.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30