Eight-year-old Randa Sedar has instantly earned global attention and fame.
The young chess protege from Palestine is the youngest participant at the 2022 Chess Olympiad currently on-going in Mamallapuram near Chennai, India.
Randa recently met the Indian chief minister Tamil Nadu MK Stalin and was congratulated.
She is the center of attraction with many players and fans pleading for autographs and selfies.
She is part of the Palestine team at the championship that has players from 185 countries world-wide.
Randa hails from Hebron province of Palestine in a typical chess family having learnt the game from the age of five from the family, also a chess coach.
His elder brother plays chess and a FIDE Master as well.
In India; Randa, Taqwa Hamouri (1214 ratings), Sara Alhmouri and Eman Sawan are participating in their first Chess Olympiad.
Randa won a silver medal in the Palestine Women’s Chess Championships earlier this year.
She is ranked second in the world in the Under-6 division, earned a spot on the national team.
At the championship in India, she caused upsets with the victory over Comoros’ Ali Mohammed Fahima during the second round. This victory came in just 39 moves to win the game.
She also managed to secure half a point from Acham Meritza of Mauritius.
Randa fell 0-1 to Nicaragua’s Patricia Alvarez Gutierrez in round four, to WFM Celina Palacios during round five and Zambian, Bertha Phiri in round six.
On Saturday, August 6, 2022, Randa will take on South Africa’s WCM Rebecca Selkirk during round 8.
At the Olympiad, Randa is accompanied by a few elder members, who are all teenagers.
Arab Under-14 chess champion was the 15-year-old Eman Sawan hailing from Palestine.
Another teen on the side, Sara Alhmouri, 16, is on her maiden tour to India.
Amid the war situation in Palestine, the women team defied the odds to take part in the 44th Chess Olympiad.
