Queen’s Gambit

Brownsburg Teen Rises in Chess Rankings While Inspiring Girls

Photographer / Amy Payne

At just 8 years old, Laura Escobar joined the chess club at her elementary school — and little did she know she’d fall in love with the game.

“It interested me because it was an intellectual activity. You could display creativity and gain many skills. I was a curious kid, and I wanted to join right away,” Escobar says.

It was in that elementary school club that Escobar learned the basics of the game. Today, the Brownsburg High School sophomore has earned titles like the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Indiana State Champion through Scholastic Chess of Indiana and the Indiana State Chess Association.

She won the Indianapolis Fall League in 2024, going undefeated against recognized state players, and most recently took 16th place in the Pan American Youth Chess Championship in Lima, Peru, among the top female players in North America and the Caribbean islands.

It’s been a lot of work and dedication to get to where she is at 16 years old.

“I began taking chess lessons with coaches and eventually participated in tournaments every week,” Escobar says. “If I’m not at a tournament, I’m constantly training at home.”

The basic tournament in Indianapolis, Escobar says, is a great way to gain ratings and perfect her skills against other skilled players. Once or twice per month, larger statewide tournaments can occur, and twice per year, international tournaments are held.

You’ve likely seen it in a movie — two people sitting across a chess board with a chess clock on the side. Games can be played in any established increment: a blitz game in three minutes to a classical, international game played in 90 minutes.

Each player is allotted a certain amount of time, and the faster they hit the clock, seconds are added back. Essentially, a player could be winning the board, but if they’re too slow on the clock, they’ll lose the game overall.

“There can be time pressure, and that can be frustrating, but it requires strategy and quick thinking. If not for the time constraints, you could think about it forever,” Escobar adds.

Training helps her make plans and strategy, but it never goes exactly as expected.

“You have to know what to do and when to do it, but your opponent is also trying to prevent you from accomplishing your plan,” she says. “So, you also have to be flexible. The flexibility allows you to move forward because the first thing didn’t work. You don’t want to keep pushing something that isn’t working.”

She has a rating that ranges between 1,800 and 2,000. Each game moves the rating slightly higher or lower. Professionals are typically rated around 2,000, and those who reach 2,200 are considered a national master.

“There are peaks and valleys,” Escobar says. “You start out at zero, and at the basic level, you’re around 1,000. I’m around 1,800 right now, and my goal by the end of the year is to hit 2,000.”

The national championship in Peru this summer was an experience that might have discouraged some but only inspired Escobar.

“It was an intense experience,” she says. “It’s the hardest tournament I’ve played in my life, and it’s great just to have gone. I didn’t get the high results I was expecting, but I am satisfied with how I played. I was playing better than ever in my life, but every game really teaches me not only about the game but also about myself. Sometimes, the hardest part is not losing but maintaining your self-confidence after losing. It hurts when your best is not enough to win the game, but you have to move on.”

In fact, chess is full of life lessons and true-to-life experiences.

Not only does it require focus, time management, strategic thinking and academic discipline, just like any sport, the game prompts self-confidence, determination and more.

“I love how chess mirrors life,” Escobar says. “There are ups and downs. You’re going to lose sometimes, but you go on to the next game with your best mentality and your best self. No matter what happened yesterday, here you are today, and you can prove yourself again.”

She says the life lessons have shaped her into the person she is today, and she’s inspired to give back to young women, passing her love of chess to the next generation.

“Chess has always been a sport for men,” Escobar says. “Just recently, the world has begun to recognize women and their skill in chess. Less than 10% of players around the world are female, and we need to change that. If I can do that for my community, I will.”

She volunteers with Pawns to Queens (P2Q), an initiative for young girls launched in January 2025 in Indianapolis.

“The girls are eager to learn, and it’s great to be able to motivate them,” Escobar says. “One day, one of the girls said she will beat me even though I’m the best chess player in the world. That makes me smile to this day. I want them to see they can reach their goals, and I hope we continue this program.”

She’s also planning to propose a program to Brownsburg Community School Corporation (BCSC) to benefit Brownsburg students.

“I’d love to teach free online classes to girls, developing a dynamic academic chess program for growth and achievement, authorized and regulated by BCSC. I want to help promote women in chess,” Escobar says. “There are so many benefits. It helps you visualize your future, see patterns, calculate, and it promotes brain connections. Just like in life, one decision can change the whole thing.”