Catherine Lip was born on the 8th of December 1986. Though not one to be boastful, Catherine has shown herself to be a role model to many young women. As the younger sister to a chess playing brother (Michael Lip) she became bored whilst attending his tournaments and soon took up the sport herself. She quickly excelled in her own rights in a game dominated by men.

Personal Life

Catherine (aka Cathy, Smelly, Chipazoy, Stupid) grew up in the hood before becoming an uptown girl. She attended Abbotsleigh School for Girls where she excelled as an all round student. She led her school chess team to multiple victories with Abbotsleigh quickly gaining a reputation as a dominant chess force. Her musical talents however were somewhat found wanting with her eclectic and often sad music taste being exemplified by her ownership and adoration of Daryl Somers and his album. Her wide grin and thumbs-up is an ubiquitous part of her persona and along with her bubbly yet driven personality they form the Catherine Lip we all worship and admire.

Chess Career

Winner of the Australian Chess Championship in 1999 and 2000, Catherine was a child prodigy showing immense talent. Her innocent, clueless expression hid a steely determination and a wit. Her prowess over the checked boards and ivory pieces was a wonder to behold as she knocked down opponent after opponent. When she first began, there were only 16 girls registered as playing competitive chess in NSW. Thanks to Catherine and her exploits, there are now many hundreds of girls hitting the chess tournaments with a confidence imbued by the success of a hero.
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“Chess isn’t exactly one of those sports encouraged for girls, It’s just not a girl thing to do.” - Catherine Lip<ref>Chess Mates by Marion Ives</ref> [1284]
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Most of her friends gave up chess when faced with playing a boy, They assumed they would lose.
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“I think it is just a thought that we put on ourselves because ‘we aren’t as good in other sports so we aren’t as good at chess’.” - Catherine Lip<ref>Chess Mates by Marion Ives</ref> [1285]
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Though Catherine's penchant for social commentary it not quite as good as her chess skills but nonetheless her point is valid. In most sports women accept that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to physical strength. So in sports such as basketball, swimming or soccer, women have separate competitions. But in a sport like chess, where is the disadvantage? Differences between men and women in spatial ability and memory skills are two of the most common reasons thrown up in chat rooms on well-known chess websites. The Complete Idiots Guide to Chess argues “some people suggest that this may be explained by differences in brain structure. Men are supposed to be more proficient in mathematical abilities and chess is thought to require mathematic skills.” However Sally Andrews, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at The University of Sydney, says these reasons are unlikely. She explains that although spatial ability is one of the most consistently cited gender differences, the difference that does exist is small. <ref>Chess Mates by Marion Ives</ref> [1286]

Catherine is a hero. A small hero, a nondescript hero, but a hero nonetheless for all girls, everywhere, particularly the nerdy ones.
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"Cathy is my hero"
- Blossom (a friend)
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"Cathy has done for girls what Shane Warne did for Cricket, what Armstrong did for the moon. She is to smart girls what the Spice girls were for dumb ones" - Teh (a friend)</blockquote>