Would have been more believable if she had finished her first chess tournament in 2nd or 3rd place.
shareYes they can is the answer to your question. Unlikely or very unusual but still they can.
shareSome people take to things very easily. There's been plenty of cases of kids being gifted at music immediately. Unfortunately not Randall :)
shareAt their age, probably not impossible. She learned some tips from a pro that she probably remembered, enough to win at that level.
Most of us learn from amateurs.
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Life is too short.. I don't even buy green bananas
I found that annoying too
shareI got the impression she won the tournament. Unless it was broken down in groups and she was entered in a category called beginner, she wouldn't have won that tournament. I don't know how many chess players are on here, but the moves she did to win that last match were very basic moves. She had her queen (I believe protected by her bishop) take the pawn in front of her opponents bishop (the old 'mate in 3'). No way any tournament at a school, ESPECIALLY at a upper crust school where kids play chess, musical instruments, and are generally encouraged by parents just like Randall and Beth. It's the equivalent of her winning a spelling bee by spelling 'house'. That wouldn't win in the poorest inner city or rural school district, and it definitely wouldn't win at that school.
Scene would've worked if they would've showed them down to a few pieces. But maybe they felt it wouldn't have looked well for people who don't play chess.
As Mrs. Wormer famously said, "Doubtful."
Chess is a skill that people are usually born with, kind of like the guy from Rain Man with counting cards, practice helps but you're either good at it or not.
In a chess movie (I think it was Searching for Bobby Fischer), they mention that the really great players have the ability to see into the future and visualize how the moves will play out. Obviously that is something you are born with.