Teenager Beverly Mendonca writes a book that combines girl power with chess
17-year-old Beverly Mendonca has written her first book. The protagonist is wheelchair bound Christine, who is just 10 years old. Using the power of chess, Beverly sends across a powerful message of girl child empowerment through this book. It's entitled #The Queen Checkmates". This book has been launched on ChessBase India and now you can buy it from the shop for just Rs.170. What's more, you do not have to pay for shipping across India and along with Beverly's book you also get "Let's Go Green Together" book written by her mother Anita Estibeiro.
17-year-old youngster from Goa Beverly Mendonca has written her first book. It's called #THE QUEEN CHECKMATES. It's is about Christine, a poor and wheelchair- bound village girl who has her self-esteem and morale shattered by social norms, her own family and evil Amanda. Beverly takes you through the daily routine of a typical Goan village raised 5th grade handicapped girl and the daily challenges she overcomes when suddenly exposed to an urban school by her over ambitious mother. Beverly has applied her cinematographic imagination to portray her chess and artistic skills throughout this child- friendly book. She hopes to inspire and encourage everyone especially the girl child who have been sadly underestimated to date.
Apart from the book having a fine story line, it also has some beautiful artwork by Beverly. Some of her artwork from the book has been shared below. The chess fans are in for a treat as there are 7 chess games in the book handpicked by Leon Mendonca (Beverly's brother and India's latest GM) and he has also lightly annotated them. We have a position from Christine's (the main character) final game given below.
The above were just six of the several artworks done by Beverly that you can find in the book. The concept of a girl who finds her identity via chess has been seen recently in the popular Netflix series Queen's Gambit. But Beverly thought about this even before it. In fact she had completed her entire book by mid-2019 already. It was also launched at the Goa GM International in 2019 at the hands of Nilesh Cabral and Kishor Bandekar. It was only because of logistical issues and then later the Covid-19 pandemic that the availability of the book was affected. But now we have launched it on ChessBase India! This is the first book ever that ChessBase India has launched. It means for now, you can find it nowhere apart from our online shop and I say this with great pride as it is Beverly's book, someone who is sure to make it big in the years to come.
The subtle: 'Green initiatives for children' summarizes it all. The author Anita Estibeiro takes you on an enchanting ride through Goa highlighting the need to protect and preserve our most prized but sadly endangered asset - Our Environment! Beverly has used her artistic skills to illustrate the book in a very child friendly manner. The book is the product of inspiration by the author Anita Estibeiro from her teenage daughter Beverly.
How to buy the Book?
The cost of the book is just Rs.170. This is inclusive of shipping all across the country. In this cost you not only get Beverly's book #The Queen Checkmates, but also her mother Anita's book Let's Go Green Together. We have tried to keep the price as affordable as possible so that more of you, dear chess lovers, can buy the book and enjoy Beverly's creativity.
In case the above embed doesn't work for you, you can buy the book from here
Beverly the Go-Getter!
How many of you have had a dream of writing a book? I am sure many! How many of you have been able to make this dream come true? I believe very few! The reason? It's not that we have a dearth of ideas, but writing a book requires a lot of focus, dedication and willpower. I believe Beverly is not just a genius because of her creativity and writing skills, but also because of her ability to get things done. Her ability to focus on a task and finish it without getting distracted.
Beverly's determination doesn't come out of thin air. It is the product of her parent's belief in her abilities. The same belief that has led to Lyndon quitting his full-time job and Anita working hard around the clock to ensure that their son Leon becomes a Grandmaster. The family stayed away from each other in the times of Covid-19 pandemic for over a year and the result is Leon becoming India's 67th GM at the age of just 14 years. The family is a group of overachievers!
Since 2018, I have been in complete awe of Beverly's creative capabilities. Don't believe me? Check out this picture below:
In 2019, youngster Vincent Keymer had received the entry into the Grenke Chess Classic A-group because he had won the B-group in 2018. I asked Beverly to portray the fact that Vincent was entering the big league in a creative manner! Check the picture, and make sure you notice all the little things Beverly has taken care off. Firstly I absolutely love the fact that whether Vincent is eligible for the ride or not is measured by his Elo height! He has the tickets in his hand thanks to winning the Grenke Chess B-group. The bouncing castle ride is where the A-group is taking place and you have Carlsen, Aronian, MVL, Caruana and Anand already inside it. There's the Grenke logo in it as well and the words that Vincent is now "Big Enough for all the Rides". I found this art work simply amazing!
Not only is Beverly good at art-work, she is also excellent at music. Check out the song below where she has written, sang, and performed on a song related to the Corona virus.
Before you go, here's an important position from the final game of the book #The Queen Checkmates. It is between the protagonist Christine and the Antagonist Amanda:
Important links:
Buy Beverly's book from the ChessBase India shop
In case of any feedback related to the book or if you have any queries write to us at chessbaseindia(at)gmail.com
|
17-year-old Beverly Mendonca composes her first song - "Go Corona Go"
@ 13/10/2020 by Sagar Shah (en) |