A Step Ahead Chess

Chess at The Academy Group, Inc. kicked off today! A Step Ahead Chess♟️ will be working with AG’s 4th- 7th graders on Saturdays, hosting 1 of 4 encirclement blocks, alongside Sewing, STEM, and Robotics. The Academy Group unlocks opportunity for young people from the most resilient communities to realize their full potential as economic, educational and social change agents. Great alignment makes for great long term partnerships, and we’re looking forward to making new connections…on, and off the board. The STORMERS are coming‼️ #checkmate #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

🗣️ The 3rd Annual ASAC Open is in the books! 3 years ago we saw a problem where Chicago kids couldn’t find rated chess tournaments in their neighborhood, and instead of complaining about it, we got to work. Our mission at A Step Ahead Chess♟️ has always been about providing access to underrepresented groups who deserve the right to a quality education, no matter where they are from. Shoutout to our partners National Teachers Elementary Academy for sharing their gorgeous campus with us on a beautiful day☀️ and our cohost the Chicago Chess Foundation. Thank you to all our coaches, staff, parents, advisors and supporters who give everything they can to pour into our youth. It’s because of you we now serve 200 youth, with plans to serve 1,000, that’s right 1,000 youth, with quality chess enrichment that goes beyond the board. Stay tuned…the STORMERS are coming‼️ #checkmate #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

Chess Life 🙌🏾!! Our dinner cruise 🚢 was a special highlight of our Exploration Trip. It’s bigger than chess and the power in how we expose and develop our youth is in our community 💯! Thank you to all the members of this village for everything we have built together. To our parents, coaches, donors, leadership team and of course those STORMERS, we are truly better together. #checkmate #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard The Joyce Foundation The Chicago Community Trust Springboard Foundation Fund

We were thrilled to host the first ever Burst Into Books Chess Tournament 🏆 at their 3rd Annual WOW Festival 🎉 . Founder and ED Jurema Gorham, M.Ed. is a fantastic leader and community organizer and brought so many outstanding organizations from across the city together at this amazing event. “This is what the South Side looks like!” Shoutout to the parents and youth who came through to spend some time getting coached up from our A Step Ahead Chess youth coaches. Some, brand new to chess, have already expressed interest in joining our community, and others there had some experience with chess, but this was the first tournament they had participated in. We were honored to offer FREE chess lessons to every youth who participated. Good vibes and great times! #checkmate #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

The focus, perseverance and critical thinking chess brings was on full display for Day One of the DMV Open Scholastic Championship ♟️🏆. It was a sea of red for the STORMERS as they kicked off this 2 day, 8 round event. Our players and parents were excited and anxious, but what surprised our coaches the most were how many students were eager to go over and analyze their games. It's not easy for a young person to realize and go over their mistakes, but when you have a community that chants the mantra, is "It's NOT a loss, it's a lesson," so much learning happens all while having fun 🤩. Click the link below to learn how you can get involved 😁❗️ https://lnkd.in/gg93jpq7 #chess #exposure #criticalthinking

Everyday our PAID youth coaches are hustling 🔥💯!! Thank you again to Microsoft for hosting our first ever Corporate Chess Challenge. Our youth are getting exposure to spaces where they can already see themselves thriving in. Shouts out to our supporters who donated prizes that were awarded to the student coaches of the winning players. Thank you to all of our parents, players, coaches and everyone who helped in getting this thing off the ground. We’ve never seen youth development like this before. More to come. Check the link below for how you can get involved. The STORMERS♟️are coming!! https://lnkd.in/gg93jpq7 #checkmate #youthdevelopment #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

The The Chicago Community Trust was our first ever Chicago grant, and 3 years later A Step Ahead Chess is proud to be doing the work as a 3 time grantee of Safe and Peaceful Communities. Children in Chicago and everywhere deserve to be in communities with activities that bring neighborhoods together, not keep us further divided. Let’s continue to strengthen relationships and build trust across Chicago and beyond. #checkmate #astepaheadchess #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

This past weekend one of our girl STORMERS earned her first ever chess trophy 🏆 and she couldn’t have been more excited. “When they called my name, at first I thought maybe there’s another Sadé, because I’ve never won a trophy before.” A Step Ahead Chess brought 2 of the 3 black girls participating at the tournment, and watching them prove that chess is indeed for everybody, was one of those proud chess moments for us 💯♟️. Excelling at this game of strategy does not come easy, and witnessing these young black girls realize what’s possible when you stay dedicated and don’t quit, really represents what ASAC is all about. Shoutout to Queens United Chess for hosting another All Girls Tournament, which is becoming one of our favorite Chicago Chess Foundation events. Let’s keep it going y’all. The STORMERS are coming! #checkmate #astepaheadchess #girlscandoittoo #queensunited #chicagochessfoundation #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

📣We’re thrilled to announce that A Step Ahead Chess has become a grantee of the The Joyce Foundation‼️ The Joyce Foundation has been around for over 75 years and their commitment to racial equity and economic mobility is reflected in their strategic grant-making priorities, which aim to improve outcomes for all young people, with a focus on young people of color. Our team is super excited to get to work! The STORMERS are coming♟️! Village Leadership Academy Bronzeville Classical Elementary School CAMBRIDGE CLASSICAL ACADEMY #checkmate #astepaheadchess #joycefoundation #chesslessons #beyondtheboard

"We're not a chess team, we're a chess community." #checkmate