Grandmasters Ask to Meet with Mayor and CPS

Four Illinois Grandmasters, the elite of the state's chess world, have requested a meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett to discuss a new chess plan for the city's public schools. The request was made in a letter dated September 18.

Chicago has approximately 1,500 scholastic players compared to 23,000 in New York. New York dominates national competitions rarely even attended by Chicago teams. ICA has been actively advocating a new program for nearly four years.

The GMs mentioned Chicago's recent award from the U. S. Chess Federation naming it "Chess City of the Year" and said they were ready to "help you make that title come true."

Grandmaster titles are the highest in chess. There are 78 Grandmasters in the United States.

In their letter, the GM's said, "All of us have walked difficult paths and overcome obstacles in working our way up in the chess world. All foreign born, we have dealt with discrimination and hardship and have learned many of life's difficult lessons. We have also come to know intimately the benefits that accrue to those who commit themselves to difficult tasks, maintain their focus and concentration, and learn to deal with adversity and loss. We are committed to passing on some of those lessons to Chicago's schoolchildren, including those who are less fortunate and who could benefit the most from the great potential of chess."

"The time is right to add chess to your list of accomplishments," the letter concluded, "and we stand ready to help."

A statement issued by the Mayor's office two weeks ago suggested the mayor would like to see a new program. According to the statement, "The Mayor has directed CPS to work with chess providers across the City to explore this potential partnership and increase access to this extracurricular activity that teaches decision making, sportsmanship, critical thinking and strategy."

The same day, CPS issued a statement saying "We do not have the amount of money ICA is seeking to provide the program." ICA has consistently offered to provide the program for free and has put together a fund-raising team to do so. http://bit.ly/1a7Ew8c.   "The private community continues to tell us it will financially support an independent program seeking to introduce chess across the city and aiming at excellence," said Jeff Joseph, managing partner at Prescient Capital Partners who heads ICA’s finance team.

CPS also said it could not approve ICA's proposal because it did not feel the proposal was "in its final stages." ICA's proposal, running to 14 single-spaced pages, detailed the research supporting chess as an educational tool, the numbers showing Chicago lags far behind other cities, the particular problems plaguing Chicago's program, and an implementation plan including the functions of a central chess office, how it would phase in its program, and how it would build competitive excellence. The proposal also referenced ICA's online resources, including its comprehensive guide to starting a chess program addressing every step in the process from initial planning through purchase of equipment, curricula (including computer-aided instruction), budgeting, volunteer recruitment, publicity, and club management. Over nearly four years of discussion with CPS, ICA has answered every request made by CPS for additional program details.

ICA's efforts have recently received attention in the media. See, http://bit.ly/16i5da1.