Chess for Change SA

Chess for Change’s Mission

The mission of Chess for Change is to promote and support chess as an educational tool that will excite young learners about the joys of academic excellence, stimulate critical thinking, and enhance their emotional development. Integral to this is utilizing chess as the centerpiece in bringing together children from the various social and economic sectors of society, with the aim of promoting better understanding, respect and appreciation among the various sectors of society. The ultimate goals of our efforts are:

(1) to help the schools develop more graduates who are thinking, caring, and productive members of society, and

(2) to establish the teaching of chess as a recognized profession, alongside the teaching of any other academic skill.

While our major emphasis will be on serving disadvantaged children, we also recognize that chess is beneficial for all children, regardless of financial, racial, social or religious considerations. We further believe that there is a great social good to be achieved by having children from different components of society intermixing for chess activities, whether for instruction, tournament play, or general recreation. Chess for Change will therefore support chess initiatives for children from all socio-economic areas, although the majority of our efforts will be toward those with the fewest resources.