There have been a lot of changes at Chicago Chess Foundation over the past year, and as we begin a new school year, it feels like the right time to share where we are and where we’re headed.

The biggest change is also a bittersweet one.

After helping lead CCF through an important period of growth and transition, our Communications Director, Luke, is moving on from the organization.

For a long time, when we talked about access at Chicago Chess Foundation, we were primarily talking about geography and income.

Could a student attend a chess program if their school couldn’t afford one? Could a child in a Title I school get the same opportunities as a child whose family could pay for private lessons, tournament fees, and chess camps?

Those questions still matter. They will always be part of our work.

But we have started asking a bigger question:

If you asked ten people to picture a chess camp, I imagine you'd get roughly the same answer every time.

A room full of kids.

Rows of boards.

Someone explaining openings.

A tournament at the end of the week.

And to be clear, there's nothing wrong with that.

There's a question I get asked pretty often.

"What does going to a baseball game have to do with chess?"

On paper, not much.

One has sixty-four squares. The other has ninety feet between bases.

But that's kind of the point.