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One move ahead — a daughter's fight for her father

Joel Dullroy
June 6, 2025

Nievevska Torres, 14, is a World School Chess champion from Peru. As she rises through the ranks, her father battles cancer and draws strength from her success. To defend her title, they must raise funds to travel. In the streets of Lima, people pay to play her, while the family sell homemade chocolates bearing her name. Together, they face life's toughest battles — one chess move at a time.

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Nieveska Torres, the 14-year-old chess champion from Peru, navigates both her rising career and her father’s battle with cancer. Her father, Genaro, has been her lifelong coach, and now he draws strength from her success as he fights his illness.

To fund her participation in international tournaments, Nieveska plays chess in the streets of Lima, where people pay to challenge her, and her family sells homemade chocolates branded with her name. Despite financial struggles and her father’s health concerns, they remain determined to advance — one chess move at a time.

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About the show

The DW Sports Life show logo is seen next to a composite image of a male athlete in a wheelchair, a female athlete holding up a skateboard and another female athlete flexing her right biceps

Sports Life — Overcoming Challenges with Sports

Everything we know about life can be found in sports: Success and failure, euphoria and despair. Sports Life tells stories from across the globe, where sports drives personal growth and changes lives.