Disney's "Queen of Katwe" international chess champion inspires Seattle kids

SEATTLE -- It was all about chess at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club of King County where kids watched a Disney move on the game they love and then met the young woman whose life the film is based on.

Phiona Mutesi rose from the slums of Uganda to become an international chess champion. She is the subject of the Disney movie 'Queen of Katwe'.  

"I'm just grateful for it and I hope it inspires more people," she said about her visit to Seattle.

She says kids here have an advantage over those in Uganda because of our educational system. Chess has been at the heart of this Boys and Girls club thanks to Seattle Det. Denise "Cookie Bouldin. She started an after-school chess club there to help young people think through potentially life altering decisions.

"I wanted the kids to learn something that will give them the opportunity to show the consequences of not thinking ahead and so chess is that particular game," said Det. Cookie.  She says chess also reinforces the importance of being patient.