Jutta Hempel

Who is Jutta Hempel?

Jutta Hempel was a German chess prodigy born in Flensburg, Germany. Hempel showed remarkable aptitude for the game at a young age - by age three she could watch a game of chess and replay it from memory, and by age four she was playing competitively at the Youth Center in Flensburg. By the age of five, Hempel was the top junior player in Flensburg. On her sixth birthday, Hempel performed the impressive feat of scoring 9.5-2.5 in a four hour simultaneous exhibition. In her next simultaneous exhibition, which took place in the town square, Hempel won with a decisive 9-1 score. Hempel won the Flensburg junior championship at age seven. She also played six games of simultaneous blindfold chess. When she was eight years old, Hempel continued to give simultaneous exhibitions, some of which were broadcast on television. At the age of nine, Hempel managed to win a chess problem solving contest. Perhaps her most impressive accomplishment was her two draws against International Master Jens Enevoldsen.

Upon reaching maturity, Hempel focused on her family life and declined to pursue a career in chess.