phiona was one of them. [film clip] >> wt is your r name? >> phiona.eporter: the nine-year-old was poorer and dirtier than the others. when teased, she fought back. an unusual, courageous girl. [film clip] >> hey, a fighter. welcome. this is a placace for fighter. ms. mutesi: i was so hungry, so i just followed my brother to the chess program to get a meal. i didn't have any idea, any picture, of chess, how it looks like. it was my first time to see it. so, it looked strange for me. i just wanted to enter, and i touched the pieces to feel them. reporter: now, a decade or more later, phiona is a heroine for the children at the chess academy. robert katende taught her the game and the ideas behehind it- thinking ahead and looking for solutions to problems, even when things are looking hopeless. mr. katende: we try to integrate the values and the principles of the game into our lifestyle, to do problem-solving. if you consider what you don't have, you can't make it. now he has to consider what he has on the board -- how can i still i achieve my goal using