Chess is a game that many people know how to play. But there are few that can say they are as good or better than Keturah Gadson.

Gadson, a freshman this year, recently played at the National Girls Invitational Tournament in Madison, Wis. The tournament allows for each state to send a single representative, and Missouri’s 2013 representative was Gadson.

Gadson started playing chess in kindergarten and has since become one of the best young chess players in Missouri.

“I like thinking and analyzing the different positions,” Gadson said. “And also, I get really stressed in life and chess helps me deal with it.”

The National Girls Invitational Tournament was held on April 19, in Madison, Wis. and Gadson qualified by winning the most games in a qualifying tournament.

“I played three games and won each one,” Gadson said.

This perfect run at the qualifying tournament made her the Missouri representative at the tournament. This was Gadson’s first time competing at the tournament but she said, “This was the first time this particular tournament was held. They had a previous tournament similar to this one and I had been runner-up for that the past two years.”

At the tournament Gadson had two wins and two losses, all against higher-rated players. Gadson’s USCF chess rating is quite high for her age, but at this tournament “I was at the lower-end of the rating scale.”

When asked about whether or not she felt more pressure to perform at this tournament, Gadson said, “I felt like it since I was the only girl that got to go from Missouri. I didn’t want to mess up and have everyone judge me for it. And at state (Missouri State Chess Tournament), everyone is a Missouri kid, and I was the only Missouri kid at the tournament.”

Regardless of Gadson’s performance at the tournament, there is no doubt that she is one of the best Missouri players of her age.

When asked about her plans to participate in the high school chess club, she replied quite convincingly: “Yes.”