If Ms. Dong had cause to slouch then, she no longer does. In addition to being ranked as an expert by the United States Chess Federation, she has represented the country three times at the FIDE World Youth and Cadets Chess Championships. Chess, she said, has given her patience and confidence. “It definitely boosts you up,” Ms. Dong said.

But she said the game needed an image overhaul. “People still see it as a nerd thing,” she said, adding that there were few girls playing at competitive levels. “At tournaments, most of the people I see are boys.”

Francisco Guadalupe, the United States Chess Federation’s director of events, is not surprised.

“Of the top 100 players in the world, only one is a woman,” he said in a telephone interview. “I don’t want to say she’s doing well for a girl, but Alice Dong’s accomplishments have been tremendous.”

That includes Ms. Dong’s introduction of the New Jersey All-Girl Chess Camp in 2014. Last Sunday, at the most recent camp, the enrollees — a few in high school but most in elementary and middle school — learned basics like what to call the game pieces, and more advanced skills including how to avoid a stalemate. Each camper wore an official yellow T-shirt, and each went home with a chess set of her own.

The camp was fully booked within a week of its registration opening in November. Instead of charging tuition, Ms. Dong raised money for costs online. Girls were split into three groups: beginner, intermediate or advanced.

“Some girls are beginner-beginner, like they don’t know anything. But working with them can be really satisfying,” Ms. Dong said, because a few reminded her of herself at that stage. “If you saw me when I was learning, you would never think I’d end up where I am today.”