CCF Board Member, Jose Garza, and wife, Annamarie, presented with Tom Larson Award in Chess

Jose Garza and his wife Annamarie Garza have an impressive record of developing youth chess in Chicago’s East Side neighborhood. As the coordinator of the chess programs at Matthew Gallistel Language Academy, George Washington High School, and Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, the Garza’s have contributed to the vibrancy and growth of the Chicago chess community. For their continued efforts, they were presented the Tom Larsen Award in Chess from the CPS Academic Chess Program.

The Tom Larson Award is given to coaches within CPS Academic Chess each year who show exceptional dedication to their chess team and its youth. Jose and Annamarie are a fantastic choice for the award during the 2021 school year, which was unique in many ways. While managing three different clubs remotely, all of the clubs that the Garzas led participated in a number of notable chess events including:

• CPS’s city championships

• CCF’s monthly scholastic tournaments

• CCF’s Chicago Online Chess League

• CCF’s Ghana-Chicago Chess Exchange

Jose has been a CCF board member since 2019. As a team, Jose and Annamarie are highly appreciated members of the CCF family and the greater Chicago chess community. CCF sends their warmest congratulations to both Jose and Annamarie for their award, and even more impressively their accomplishments this year.