After spending the last few years searching for the next championship chess player on Whidbey, Freeland resident Mark Calogero may have found his protégé.

Ten-year-old Clementine Penny of Clinton recently won second place in her division in a U.S. Chess Federation tournament in Port Townsend on May 31. Penny has just completed fourth grade at Island Christian Academy and has been training with Calogero since February.

“She recited Latin to me once after one of our training sessions. This is a very bright girl, very good mind,” Calogero said. “If she wants to continue, she could be very good at it. Chess is a sport, not just a game. And there’s been no American world champion in 50 years since Bobby Fischer.”

Calogero advertised his lessons on Drewslist – the friendly South Whidbey version of Craigslist – to train and discover the next “Queen’s Gambit” girl, a nod to the popular 2020 Netflix show.

Penny’s mother, Stacy, has not seen the TV series but did see the ad and reached out to Calogero. Stacy said she taught her daughter the rules of the game when she was younger, and her older brothers have played it with her.

Penny’s first tournament earlier this year took place at Thornton Creek in the Seattle area. It was a tough competition, with people of all skill levels playing together. Stacy recalled Penny got one draw and lost the rest of her games.

“She was kind of discouraged by that, but I signed her up for the one in Port Townsend anyways to see how her second experience would be and if it was more positive to encourage her to continue,” Stacy said.

And it turned out to be. Penny won four out of her five games. Her only loss came to the winner of her draw. Calogero described the winner as a very aggressive player.

“But I think she could have beat him as well,” he said.

The Port Townsend tournament had 50 players, and Penny played in the under 500 ranking division, meaning she played with other kids close to her age who are also just starting to get into the world of chess.

According to Calogero, Penny has tremendous absorption of the content, tactics and basic moves. She also plays on Chess.com as “ClemtheBem,” which her mother said is a nickname given by one of her friends.

“I think she could be a very good player,” Calogero said. “The only question is, will she stick with it?”

Next year, he believes she could compete in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome, which draws in 1,500 players.

But in the meantime, Penny is going to take a well-deserved break from competing this summer before contemplating her next move.

Photo by Stacy Penny Clementine Penny shows off her second place trophy on the ferry ride home from Port Townsend.