CHICAGO INNOVATION AWARDS

Yury Shulman's Chess Without Borders Non-Profit Organization

Yury Shulman’s Chess Without Borders is a unique 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, which was formed 3 years ago. The mission of the program is to promote education through combining learning chess with service and philanthropy. The program consists of weekly chess lessons after school taught by GM Shulman and his staff during the school year. The students are engaged in the study of chess and the rich history behind the game. Each week students do a 5 minute presentation on a world champion learning public speaking skills. Grandparents are invited to study with their children at the club and throughout the year leadership service projects are created by students. Tournaments are held regularly throughout the year.

The organization is unique because a 9-year-old student originally created the program. The program expanded to nearby suburbs and schools and became so popular that it was adopted by the 2008 US Chess Champion Grandmaster Yury Shulman. When Rishi Sethi, the 9-year-old, started the chess program he was the only one playing chess in his school but within a few years thousands of children were playing chess and every school in the district has a chess club. The chess program has won several awards and because of its innovative projects it attracted the attention of a US Champion who relocated to the Chicago area and agreed to adopt the program.

Although the chess program started in Barrington there are chess clubs in every surrounding suburb such as Cary, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Elgin and Hawthorn Woods. The program changed consumer expectations in several ways. Firstly, chess students who became proficient in chess began teaching in other schools with the help of adult volunteers. Paradoxically in chess children learn faster than adults so it was the adults who played a subordinate role depending on chess students to inform and guide them. This developed responsibility and self-esteem among children and empowered them to engage in several service projects. Rishi Sethi, the organizer of the program became a US Chess Federation Tournament Director in 2002, when he was 14 years old, allowing him to host chess tournaments where a portion of the proceeds from the tournament were donated to designated charities. Today, over $ 20,000 has been donated to a variety of local, national and international charities from chess events. Besides donating money chess students have volunteered to teach chess at inner city schools and through global outreach programs have donated chess sets and services worldwide in Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Mexico, Chile, India, Nigeria, Sudan, and The Marshall Islands.

Grandmaster Shulman who joined the program has embraced the original mission of service and philanthropy, saying, “I was impressed with the army of volunteers and I agreed to take over the program because I had never seen chess being used as a vehicle to promote humanitarian goals until I saw this program.” The beauty of the program is the diversity of students. The population of students crosses boundaries of age, sex, ethnicity and socio-economic background. In fact one of the best volunteers in the program is an autistic youth who has “ blossomed in the program and calls it home” according to his mother.

The program addresses several unmet needs as a traditional and non-traditional educational tool. Chess promotes multiple intellectual and emotional skills. Research studies conducted in several countries document the development of concentration, math, visualization, problem solving and pattern recognition through chess. Another unusual aspect of this program is the history and geography, which is explored during chess club. Through presentations which are assigned each week to children as young as 6 years in age, students learn the rich history of the game.

Many other leadership possibilities are explored by long and short-term service projects conducted by the entire population of chess students. For instance, in the latest project the entire Yury Shulman’s Chess Without Borders student body decided to start a chess club in a slum school in Delhi, India. They also raised funds for plastic surgery for a 4-year-old girl living in this slum in India. This girl was severely disfigured through burns she suffered and had also lost the use of both her hands from the burns. One of the global volunteers working at the Govindpuri slum school approached GM Shulman for help in starting a chess club and surgery for this little girl. A team of chess enthusiasts including a chess teacher and Documentarian traveled to India to witness the situation meet Meher and document the project. Over this last year about $10,000 has been raised making it possible to allow 2 plastic surgeries and correction of her hands. The Plastic Surgeon was so inspired by the story that he has donated his services and raised Rs 10,000 towards this project. Students at the Berlin Metropolitan School in Germany have also raise euros for this project making it an incredible learning experience spanning 3 continents. Other projects have included a Chess Mission Trip for 20 chess enthusiasts, including the Barrington High School chess team to volunteer as teachers for children living in an orphanage. In collaboration with the Rotary club the Barrington students were able to do live chess tournaments in downtown Leon, Mexico raising money for wheelchairs for the Rotary club. This is a unique combination of promoting excellence in learning through service and philanthropy, which motivates youth in a powerful manner.

The program has sought collaboration between chess and businesses and the arts. Local businesses have sponsored tournaments at their place of business. Consequently tournaments have been held in a grocery store, nursing home and hospital. Currently the chess students are collaborating with the local Farmers Market to teach chess as well as show support for local produce by being present at the Farmers Market.

These are some of the highlights of the achievements and accomplishments of the program.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE PROGRAM

• Over $22,000 donated to various non-profit programs from chess events organized.

• Over 5000 books donated through book drive projects to Chicago Public Schools organized by student leaders and GM Shulman.

• Established chess clubs and chess programs internationally through volunteers in Ekhta and Govindpuri Slums in Delhi, India, orphanages in Leon, Mexico and Bareilly, India, schools in Chile, Malaysia, Borneo, Marshall Islands, Thailand, Cambodia, Nigeria and Sudan.

• Donated chess sets and established chess clubs locally at Sunny Hill Elementary School in Carpentersville, Crisis Center in Elgin, local libraries in Barrington Schools, Metcalfe School in Chicago, Native American Reservation in North Dakota and The Spina Bifida Association.

• Thousands of students actively engaged in learning chess and serving through innovative leadership service projects.

• Chess textbook published by GM Shulman and his student is continuing the tradition of combining excellence in learning with service and philanthropy. In a year 15 students have become certified chess coaches.

Over 300 volunteers who have donated more than 10,000 volunteer hours in service.

• Founder of the chess program Rishi Sethi won the Prudential Award, Presidential Freedom Scholarship Award, the AXA and US News and World Report Scholarship Award and is the Finalist for the 2008 Harris Wofford Award.

• 3 students selected to the 2008 UN Youth Assembly in New York for their commitment towards humanitarian service.

• Unsung Hero Award for Yury Shulman’s Chess Without Borders given by Radio Station Y103.9 FM and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital 2009

• Citation for Humanitarian Award from Jane Goodall Institute