I’m writing to encourage members of our Chicagoland community to support the Chicago Chess Center (CCC) and play in its events. CCC is a wonderful resource for kids and families that you may not have heard of.
I recently got back from Brazil where my son won first place in the World Cadet Chess Championship U8 open section. It certainly was an unexpected and wonderful experience!
He played kids from Russia, Uzbekistan, India, Paraguay, Brazil, China, Vietnam and the USA. It’s an accomplishment he will always carry in his heart. And his success might not have been possible without the experience he received from CCC events.
CCC’s goal this year is to work with five Title I schools in Chicago to provide instruction and training. Everyone can learn to play regardless of their background. Teaching critical thinking skills to young people is an integral part of our mission.
We believe chess improves computational thinking, increases cognition and concentration, develops abstract thinking, and teaches logic and strategy, pattern recognition and analytical skills. Chess also teaches life skills: goal-setting, coping with defeat, respect for others, building friendships, and belonging to a community.
We also offer U.S. Chess-rated tournaments for players from beginner to grandmaster. These events are the building blocks to a lifetime of achievement for our members.
As we try to raise awareness of our organization in Chicago, CCC is seeking board members who can support our mission and help raise funds to create a permanent center in Chicago, a recreational and educational meeting place where people from diverse backgrounds meet daily to learn, play, and engage their minds.
Surprisingly, less than 5 percent of players in our events are women. I also have found this to be the case in national chess tournaments. Part of our mission is to create an environment in which women and girls can enjoy playing and excelling.
Most of our events are held at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Our next tournament, the City of Chicago Class Championships, will be held Oct. 28-29; we are holding concurrent one-day events for beginners on both the 28th and 29th. We also have a tournament for beginners and masters on Nov. 11, Dec. 9, and Dec. 16, with a full season of events scheduled for winter and spring 2018.
To learn more, please contact info@chichess.org, or visit our website at chichess.org. Our event calendar is posted at chichess.org/events.
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