BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — The next great chess champ could come from Brooklyn thanks to a new program for young children in Bedford-Stuyvesant and East New York.
U.S Chess Hall of Fame grandmaster Maurice Ashley is leading the new initiative with the help of nonprofit youth organization the Police Athletic League and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
“It's a real pleasure to be partnering with the Brooklyn DA's Office and the PAL to bring chess to kids in my hometown,” said Ashley, the first African-American grandmaster.
“As a child who was raised in Brownsville and who found chess at Brooklyn Technical High School, it feels like I have come full circle. Learning chess has many benefits to growing young minds, and the children of our great borough stand much to gain from this program.”
The program at the PAL I.S. 218 Beacon Center in East New York and Bed-Stuy’s Wynn Center at 495 Gates Ave. kicked off in mid-October and will continue twice a week through August.
Following sessions during the school year and summer, participants will compete in a tournament at each center along with a Brooklyn-wide competition, organizers said.
The initiative came as a result of an idea from the late Brooklyn District Attorney, Ken Thompson, whose son is a chess player, according to the DA’s office.
“It is an honor for me to carry out DA Ken Thompson’s vision for a chess partnership with the Police Athletic League that will benefit hundreds of young people, teaching them not only to carefully consider their next move in chess, but will also help them think strategically about their next moves in life,” acting DA Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
Third- and fourth-graders in Bed-Stuy can participate, along with kids in grades five through eight in East New York. For more information, visit the PAL website here.
