Stereotip da su Romi neobrazovani i nisu pametni nažalost je raširen u društvu. Nije rijetkost da se romska djeca bez ikakvog razloga osim svoje nacionalne pripadnosti stavljaju u škole za osobe s invaliditetom. Agáta Berková, mlada Romkinja od 11 godina koja živi u Poltáru (Slovačka), živi je dokaz da je ovaj stereotip neutemeljen. Nedavno je uspjela ponovno izvući ruskog šahovskog velemajstora Anatolija Karpova.

Iako mlada igračica smatra da joj je šahovska legenda prepustila remi, u posljednjih je nekoliko godina postigla još neke goleme uspjehe. Pobijedila je na GPX-u Slovačke za igrače do 8 godina i dosegla 6. mjesto na prvenstvu EU iste kategorije. Zahvaljujući takvim rezultatima, dosegla je najviši rang među djevojčicama svojih godina i bila među prvih 5 igračica u EU-u. Agatin otac, Milan Berko, trenirao ju je godinama prije nego što su pronašli novog trenera za mlado čudo.

Život Agate nije uvijek bio lak. Mladost je provela s obitelji u naselju bez pristupa struji i vodi. Kad je još bila malo dijete, roditelji su joj se razveli. Odvojenost od majke i dva brata autista bila joj je veliki izazov. Njezina obitelj također nije bila bogata. Agata donedavno nije imala svoju spavaću sobu jer je obitelj živjela u skromnom stanu. Uz sve ove napore, Agatina je ljestvica neko vrijeme pala. Ipak, nikakve poteškoće ne uništavaju njezine nade u budućnost, što se tiče šaha i ostatka života. Ipak, nikakve poteškoće nisu joj uništile nade u budućnost, što se tiče šaha i ostatka života. Budući da je u školi bila briljantna, nadala se da će postati odvjetnica ili znanstvenica. Stoga se nadala da će moći, ili pomoći drugima u situacijama poput razvoda roditelja, ili će izmisliti lijek za svoju braću.

Mnogi drugi Romi uče šah u lokalnom šahovskom klubu, zvanom "Hrochotskské jezdci" ("Jahači iz Hrochoťa"). Milan Berko se nikada nije profesionalno igrao, ali je djecu iz lokalne zajednice počeo podučavati 2015. godine. Ekipa je na početku radila bez puno toga: na raspolaganju su im bile samo tri šahovske ploče. No, uz pomoć kluba ŠK Junior Banská Bystrica uspjeli su nabaviti dovoljno materijala da svi mogu igrati. Klub im je također pomogao da ispune uvjete za igranje turnira. Isprva su ljudi bili sumnjičavi kad su vidjeli Rome. Prema riječima Milana Berka, “čak su vidjeli i dame kako ih hvataju za torbe i provjeravaju jesu li na svom mjestu. Bilo je neugodno, čak su i djeca to primijetila." Nakon nekoliko mjeseci, tim je uspio steći malo poštovanja na šahovskoj sceni, pa čak i sudjelovati na nacionalnim i međunarodnim događajima.

Osim rješavanja stereotipa o Romima, šahovski klub imao je pozitivan utjecaj na djecu. Igra je mnogima pomogla u rješavanju problema s koncentracijom, hiperaktivnosti ili čak upotrebe droga. Prema riječima Milana Berka, svako dijete u klubu uspjelo je pohađati srednju školu, što je neosporan uspjeh za romsku djecu i izvor ponosa za Agatinog oca. Izjavio je da mnogi učitelji podcjenjuju učenike romske nacionalnosti i „učinili su da se osjećaju glupo. Čim su počeli igrati šah, nitko se nije usudio to reći”.

Zahvaljujući Agati, njenom ocu i svakom drugom članu "Hrochotskské jezdci", mnogi su dobili dokaz da su njihovi stereotipi i predrasude o Romima neutemeljeni i da su inteligentni kao i svi drugi kada im se osigura odgovarajuće okruženje.

Na kraju, Agatina priča je priča o hrabrosti i nadi. Bez obzira hoće li ona postati šahovski prvak kao Anatolij Karpov ili ne, najvažnija bit je negdje drugdje. Kao što njezin otac kaže: "Ako izraste u dobru osobu, ne mora biti dobar šahist, dobar student, ja samo želim da bude od koristi ovom društvu i da bude dobra osoba."

 

 

 

 

While the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” recently highlighted chess, a young Roma is achieving impressive results at the Game of Kings.

The stereotype that Roma are uneducated and not clever is unfortunately widespread in society. It is not rare for Roma children to be put in schools for people with disabilities without any reason but their ethnic belonging. Agáta Berková, a young Roma aged 11 who is living in Poltár (Slovakia), is the living proof that this stereotype is baseless. She recently managed to draw again the Russian Chess Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov.

While the young player considers that the chess Legend let her draw, she achieved some other tremendous successes in the past few years. She won the Slovakia GPX for players up to 8 years old and reached 6th place in the EU Championships of the same category. Thanks to such results, she reached the highest ranking among girls of her age and was among the top 5 players in the EU. Agata’s father, Milan Berko, has been training her for years before they found a new trainer for the young prodigy.

The life of Agata has not always been easy though. She spent her early life with her family in a settlement without access to electricity and running water. When she was still a young child, her parents divorced. The separation from her mother and her two autistic brothers has been highly challenging. The family is also far from being rich. Until recently, Agata did not have her own bedroom as the family was living in a modest apartment. With all of this strain, Agata’s ranking felt down for a while. However, no difficulties destroy her hopes for the future, both regarding chess and the rest of her life. Being brilliant at school, she hopes to become either a lawyer or a scientist. Thus, she hopes to be able, either to help others with situations like her parents’ divorce or to invent a cure for her brothers.

Many other Roma are learning chess in the local chess club, called "Hrochotskské jezdci" ("The Hrochoť Riders"). Milan Berko has never played professionally, but he started to teach children from the local community in 2015. The team was doing without much at the beginning: only three chessboards were at their disposal. However, with the help of the ŠK Junior Banská Bystrica Club, they managed to get enough material to allow everyone to play. The club also helped them to meet the conditions to play tournaments. At first, people were suspicious when they saw Roma. According to Milan Berko, they “even saw ladies grabbing their handbags and checking to see if things were in place. It was unpleasant, even the children noticed it." After several months, the team managed to acquire some respect on the chess scene and even get to participate in national and international events.

Besides tackling stereotypes against Roma people, the chess club had a positive influence on children. The game helped many to deal with concentration problems, hyperactivity or even drug use. According to Milan Berko, every child in the club managed to go to high school, an undeniable achievement for Roma youngsters and a source of pride for Agata’s father. He stated that many teachers tend to underestimate Roma pupils, and “made them feel stupid. As soon as they started playing chess, no one dared to say it."

Thanks to Agata, her father and every other member of the "Hrochotskské jezdci", many were given the proof that their stereotypes and prejudices regarding Roma were unfounded and that they are as intelligent as anyone else when being provided with the proper environment.

In the end, Agata’s story is one of courage and hope. Whether she ends up being a chess champion as Anatoly Karpov or not, the most important is somewhere else. As her father says, “If she grows into a good person, she doesn't have to be a good chess player, a good student, I just want one, to be beneficial to this society and to be a good person."