Medina's journey: from Square One to Queen.

• Position: Q&A - Interview - Brief article

Medina Parrilla, 15, has been playing chess since she was in kindergarten. Now she's ranked No. 6 in the country among girls under 16. Upfront talked to the sophomore at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, N.Y.

Q How did you get interested in chess?

A When I was in kindergarten, they had this chess program [Chess-in-the-Schools] at my school. I had never heard of chess before, but I said I would play. So I started going to practice and I just loved it. And then I started competing.

Q What are you hoping to accomplish?

A I want to become the first female African-American grandmaster. One grandmaster once said something about females not being as smart as guys, that that's why they can't become grandmasters. And that just made me mad. So I was like, OK, I'll prove that's not true.

Q What's the biggest challenge you've faced?

A Not having a coach [right now]--just having to...