Chicago’s Top Young Chess Players To Compete In Annual MVP Tournament
Introduction to the MVP Tournament
The best young chess players in the city will go head to head Tuesday at the 29th annual MVP Tournament, a citywide competition that brings together top K-12 Chicago Public Schools players to compete for scholarship money at the Harold Washington Library’s Winter Garden Downtown. Hosted by the Chicago Chess Foundation, the tournament serves as a competitive opportunity and an event used to expand access to chess for students across the city, particularly in underserved neighborhoods.
About the Chicago Chess Foundation
The Chicago Chess Foundation is a youth development nonprofit that uses chess as a tool to teach critical thinking, perseverance and confidence to students across the city. The organization was founded in 2014 and started to expand its programs in 2017 by focusing on bringing the game of chess to underserved communities where after-school programs and other enrichment opportunities are often limited. “To ensure that all students really have access to chess, we go to the kids and bring chess to them,” said Matthew Kearney, executive director of the Chicago Chess Foundation. “So that they can take advantage of the full opportunities that the Chicago chess community has for them.”
CPS students take part in the Nobel Elementary Scholastic Tournament in April 2024.
Credit: Provided/Chicago Chess Foundation
The foundation brings free chess instruction, tournaments and summer camps to neighborhoods across Chicago. “We want to host kids where they’re at,” Kearney said. “We’re focused on creating a safe space for kids in the summertime so that they have something enriching to do. Our tool is chess, but our end goal is very similar to a lot of other youth development nonprofits, and that’s just the betterment of our kids to create future leaders for the community.”
The Growing Popularity of Chess
That tool has exploded in popularity, particularly in the past few years. From online platforms and a pandemic-driven shift to virtual gaming to pop culture moments like the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” chess has never been more popular with young people. “It’s a global language,” Kearney said. “You can play anywhere in the world, and the game is always the same.”
Whitman Kosak, one of the city’s highest ranked chess players, is a senior at Lane Tech High School.
Credit: Provided/Chicago Chess Foundation
Young Chess Players Ready To Compete
Whitman Kosak, a senior at Lane Tech High School, started to get serious about chess during the summer between his eighth grade and freshman years. That summer, Kosak tried his luck with the “old guys” who play outside at Montrose Harbor, learning tricks along the way while trying his best not to get hustled off the tables, he said. At Lane Tech, Kosak met Avi Kaplan, who is now the city’s only under-18 national chess master. “It wasn’t quite a rivalry because he was much better than me, but it was good motivation to have someone to spar with and show me the ropes,” Kosak said.
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