Congratulations to Aidan and Zander Kitchen who have excelled as Marketing Agents for the sales of the documentary produced by Chess Without Borders called “A Future for Meher”. Aidan and Zander are identical twins both are also enthusiastic chess players but now they have found a new calling as Marketing Agents. They have sold a record number of DVD’s combining charm, knowledge and spirit of helping. The funds raised from the documentary will be used for establishing a computer center in the Govindpuri Slum Education Center in Delhi, India. The service the students render will qualify as a project for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Chess Without Borders is proud of the humanitarian education it is able to provide through projects such as this.

Photograph of Aidan and Zander taken by Joseph Ridgway last year at a tournament. We salute their humanitarian spirit.

The tournament held at Countryside School was a success in many ways thanks to the students and volunteers. The players continue advancing in their knowledge as they get an opportunity to test their skills at tournaments. Through food sales Chess Without Borders raised $490 thanks to the efforts of our student and adult volunteers. The money will be donated to a local Illinois charity that will provide a meal for prisoners who are being rehabilitated into society. Our student volunteers were Toby Schwartz, Millen Srivastava, Varun Ahuja, Prathnik Kandimala, Zander and Aidan Kitchen and Jane Bradley. They were terrific in their charm and service.

A special thanks goes out to our adult helpers who generously donated their time and effort as they taught our students the value of service and what it means to make a difference in this world. We salute our very own Grandmaster Gourmet Chef Zein Bertacchi who has made it a tradition to serve hand made hummus at many tournaments. We have donated $75,930 over the last ten years and won many awards for our unique combination of education with service.

Special thanks to adult volunteers Margo Bradley, Jeff, Marian Wulff, Nina Sethi, Peggy Schwartz and Zein Bertacchi who worked tirelessly to reach our goals. The supplies were donated by Chess Without Borders, Shona Ahuja, Sethis and Margo Bradley. Each tournament is an introduction to the rich world of learning and service for our students many of whom go on to win the Presidential Award for creating projects through service.

This is the 9th year of BHS hosting the world class chess camp. The camp is nationally well known for its ability to attract world class international players like GM Alex Onischuk. GM Onischuk is ranked in the top 20 players in the world and he is an outstanding chess teacher. Taraq and Zaed Hallak who are living in Montreal, Canada  came to the camp to learn from him after they heard he was teaching there. They were excited about learning chess and watching students like them notate their games. They are determined to return to Canada and start competing in chess tournaments.

Picture of Zaed and Taraq on the right playing a match with students from the camp.

The chess camps began in 2004 as the population of chess players grew exponentially since 1999 when chess was started in the Barrington area. GM Shulman relocated to the area in 2005 co-founding Chess Without Borders with Rishi Sethi. District 220 schools and parents supported the program which uniquely combined chess education and philanthropy since its inception. GM Shulman continued to uphold the tradition of the program and today over $75,000 has been donated to various charities locally around the world. The program has won several awards and students who volunteer win scholarships/honors and awards for their contribution.

The chess program established a tradition of bringing high quality chess education to the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Since its inception ten years ago GM Shulman has brought world class Grandmasters to the area to teach at summer chess camp. Other Grandmasters such as the US Woman’s Chess Champion Anna Zotonskih and World Woman’s Chess Champion Susan Polgar have volunteered as guest artists at chess clubs. This powerful cultural and educational  experience has excited students to excel and be proud of their skills.

Picture of GM Alex Onishuk the 2006 US Champion with students at the camp.

Chess Without Borders has also established itself as a force in the world of Youth Service of America Students have attended the UN Youth Assembly in new York and 50 students have received Presidential Service Awards for volunteering over 100 hours in one year. Through their participation in learning at the chess program students will make a donation possible towards the technology center at Project Why. This is an organization that brings education to families living in the Govindpuri slums of Delhi, India. The documentary, A Future for Meher was entered in the 2011 Emmy Awards showing the impact of the humanitarian work done through the chess program. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSI3OQKVQ_c

Students are learning chess while serving as leaders in the program becoming stars at the Youth Service of America. Their efforts are recognized through the many scholarships, honors and awards they continue to win each year.

Picture of students at the Quest Academy camp with GM Shulman

Ms Sudha Dang, from India was one of the adult volunteers who had come to the Barbara Rose Chess Tournament to check out the special Middle Eastern food. She was impressed by the attendance and the work ethic of the volunteers. She saw the enthusiasm, different roles played by the group of volunteers and the remarkable collaborative effort it took to raise funds. Ms Dang quickly became part of the group as she helped serve food and inspire our youth.

Above is a picture of Ms Sudha Dang encouraging 13 -year-old Toby Schwartz who was the Accountant for the project. The youth volunteers thrive as leaders during these humanitarian projects as they hold important roles and own the projects. When they are successful in performing their roles they gain confidence and are filled with pride at the impact of their efforts. Adult volunteers like Ms Dang are vital in encouraging our students in their unique efforts because very often these young volunteers create more projects for the next time.

We are grateful for Ms Dang’s contribution of $90 which will be used towards developing a technology center at Project Why, which is an NGO providing educational services for families living in the slums of Delhi, India.