Mark Richardson, Chairman
Leonard Haynes
Angela Lipscomb
David Mehler
Eugene Meyer
Ralph Mikell
Pablo Molina
Marc Rotenberg
U.S.
Chess Center
1501 M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
November 27, 2011
Dear Friends of the Chess Center,
Last month marked a great milestone in the twenty-year history of the US Chess Center. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley visited us in Washington, DC, to play a simultaneous chess exhibition, to meet with students in the DC Public Schools, to talk about the value of chess for young people, and to promote the work of the Chess Center.
Grandmaster Ashley’s presence in Washington lit a spark in the DC Chess scene. The Washington Post reported extensively on the event, including a front-page article in the Metro section , a video interview with Maurice, and photos from the event. Former Redskin LaVar Arrington, a chess player himself, showed up to interview the Grandmaster for his TV program and later wrote about chess on his blog.
Grandmaster Ashley’s visit to the US Chess Center also provided an opportunity to meet with DC Chancellor Kaya Henderson, Chief of the Office of Public Engagement Kelly Young, Instructional Superintendent Dan Shea, and other officials with the DCPS, who all remarked on the wonderful work of the Chess Center and the great opportunities for young people. We are grateful for the time they took to meet with us, and we look forward to working more closely with them in the years ahead.
More good news: the Chess Center is now launching its latest program – ChessWorks – an effort to build on our many years of success with chess instruction, and to help train young people for the workplace. Through preparation, training, and discipline – many of the skills that chess teaches – the Chess Center will help ensure that the city’s top young chess players also become top prospects when employers are looking to fill jobs.
We are also looking forward to a new home for the Chess Center. We have been fortunate over the last twenty years to have a wonderful space provided at no cost that has made possible many of our programs and weekend tournaments, as well as having provided a good location for kids to stop by and play chess. We may remain at our current location, but we are also pursuing other opportunities. Either way, we assure you there will be plenty of speed chess games, checkmates, and smiling faces at the US Chess Center in the fall of 2012 and beyond.
The beginning of our third decade is a noteworthy occasion. It is also a good opportunity to thank David Mehler, Catherine Sevcenko, Greg Acholonu, and the entire staff of the US Chess Center for all of their excellent work. David’s leadership has guided the growth of the Center from its inception to the present. Greg and the other instructors provide a first-rate learning experience for our students. Adding Catherine to the team allows us to increase our program activities. We continue to expand the number of schools we cover in the District, to identify excellent new instructors, and to continue our certification practices. In five years, we hope to be offering chess instruction in twice as many schools as we serve today.
Finally, here is a good reminder for chess and for life. If you think you have a good move, look for a better one. That’s what Alexander Kotov wrote in “Think Like a Grandmaster.”
Best Regards,
Mark D. Richardson, Chair
US Chess Center