Chess, granddaughter inspire comic strip character

An interesting article about the creator of the comic that appears in Chess Life for Kids.

Chess anyone? Which room would you like to play in? Rosalyn B. Katz's Rockaway condo has multiple chess sets in just about every room. Some are miniature, some micro-miniature, but many, too numerous to count, are set up for play.

Katz's love of chess and the birth of her first grandchild, Zaria Katz, were the impetus for the creation of the comic strip character "Zaria."

"Zaria is an 8-year-old chess player who is in love with the game and in love with life," Katz said. "Her overly enthusiastic way of engaging life gets her into difficulties, but she always lands on her feet."

While Katz writes the strip, Doina Paraschiv, an illustrator with 20 years' experience, draws the cartoons that bring "Zaria" to life. Paraschiv is also a chess player.

The strip was picked up by Chess Life magazine, a publication of the United States Chess Federation, with a circulation of 285,000. "Zaria" has been appearing every other month since July 2003.

The rest of the article is available at the Daily Record.