Support Lily and Renata's Chess Dreams

I am Tom David, the Administrator of the SMAjedrez Chess Club and I am sponsoring a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to enable Lily and Renata Duarte Cramer to continue their remarkable chess journey. It began two and a half years ago when they were aged 10 and 7. They knew chess rules but had no knowledge of basic tactics or openings. They were mentored by Glenn Wilson, who founded the SMAjedrez Chess club. He encouraged them to compete and they have played in tournaments all over Mexico in the last several years. They have won a series of state and national championships, including the state championship for Guanajato which was just held in Leon in February 2025. Lily, age 13, won first place in girls’ 16 and under. Renata, age 10, won first place in girls’ 12 and under. These wins qualified them to play in the prestigious CONADE competition later this year.

They appreciate your past support. With your help, they were able to go to the North American Youth Chess Championships last December, where Lily won third place in the classic tournament for girls 14 and under against the toughest competition she had ever faced. The classic tournament is a grueling event with nine games spread over six days. Each game can last up to 4 ½ hours and classic is both a physical and mental challenge. Lily excelled and was the only Mexican player to win a title and place in the top three. Renata also did well, winning the blitz tournament for girls ten and under. Blitz chess was a fast moving game where each player only had three minutes to complete the game. It is exciting, hectic and not for the faint at heart.

Because of her performance at the tournament, Lily’s international ranking increased to 1839 and she was awarded the title of Women Candidate Master. That is the first step on the path to becoming a Grandmaster. Those players generally have rankings of around 2600, so Lily is already well on her way.

The girls are now looking toward the future. They have an active tournament schedule in Mexico over the next few months They have already qualified to play in the Pan American Youth Chess Championships, which will be held in Peru in July. That is a prestigious tournament that will attract a strong international field from throughout the Western Hemisphere. They will also be playing in a tournament in Mexico in April which is a qualifying tournament for the North American Youth Chess Championships. That is the same tournament that they just played in Virginia in December. This year, it will be held in Canada in August. Success in an international tournament can dramatically advance their rankings and their future prospects, as well as providing them with valuable experience.

They expect to be qualified for both these tournaments and would love to play in both. As a practical matter, however, it is more likely that they will only play in one. Each tournament costs approximately $5,000 with airfare, hotels, meals and tournament fees. The family pays much of the cost of the international tournament, as well as the costs of actively competing in tournaments throughout Mexico. They need some financial assistance to compete internationally. They have inquired about government and chess association support but have been told that will not be available this year. The SMAjedrez Chess Club, with the support of women from UU, have started this GoFundMe campaign to raise $3,000 to support Lily and Renata in one international tournament this year.

The girls’ dream is to become Mexico’s first female and sibling Grandmasters. We hope you will join us in helping make this dream come true. They have demonstrated that they have the talent, they just need help in getting the financial resources to continue progressing in their chess careers. Thank you.