Programs that Widen Worlds, Challenge Minds & Improve Lives
Newsletter
In a time when artificial intelligence can write essays, code apps, and play grandmaster-level chess in seconds, the question is no longer whether we can beat machines at what they do best—but how we can stay meaningfully human.
Chess, far from being outdated, is one of the best tools we have for cultivating strategic, resilient, emotionally intelligent thinkers. It teaches our kids—and our veterans, our seniors—not just how to win, but how to learn, how to fail, to adapt, and to persevere. These are the qualities our communities need most. Your support doesn’t just fund chess. It funds future-ready minds.
Help Send Free Sets and Boards to Veterans, Seniors and At-Risk Kids
Chess helps develop valuable reading, research, decision-making and social skills. Chess improves students’ ability to organize their thoughts and to concentrate. Children do better in school and better in life. Adults, including the elderly, can likewise enjoy the benefits of chess. That’s why the Trust offers free sets to qualifying programs, including Title I schools, libraries, senior centers, military posts and VA hospitals. Last year, your donations helped send nearly 1,200 free sets across the US.Your gifts make it possible for the US Chess Trust to provide the benefits of chess to more people than ever.
NEW! Maurice Ashley Chess Fellowship
Conceived by US Chess Hall of Famer GM Maurice Ashley, the new Maurice Ashley Chess Fellowship is designed to identify, support and elevate exceptional chess talent from the African-American community. Among the inaugural fellows is GM Brewington Hardaway, the first US-born African-American grandmaster. The MACF selection committee includes four-time US Champion Fabiano Caruana, Ashley, and Candidate Master Rochelle Ballantyne.
Brewington Hardaway, Photo Courtesy Saint Louis Chess Club
Samford Fellowship Produces World-Class Champions
GM Irina Krush Chess Olympiad 2022, Photo Copyright Dora Martinez
“This is more than just financial support—it’s about belief. This fellowship opens doors and supports the dreams of kids who deserve a shot at greatness. It will inspire following generations of young players from underrepresented communities.”
The US Chess Trust Samford Fellowship has awarded over two and a half million dollars over nearly four decades to develop world-class American talent. The formula works. Almost every year, one-half or more of the top GMs invited to the US Invitational Championship are current or former Samford Fellows.
“The Samford Fellowship provides me with the resources and support to train at a higher level and proudly represent the United States. I am deeply grateful to the US Chess Trust and its donors for their generous commitment to young American players.”
GM Wesley So Chess Olympiad 2022, Photo Copyright Dora Martinez
The current world’s number two, GM Hikaru Nakamura, is a former Samford Fellow. So are GMs Wesley So and Irina Krush. Among current Samford Fellows are the youngest-ever American GM, Abhi Mishra, US Junior Champion GM Andy Woodward, US Women’s Champ IM Carissa Yip, IM Alice Lee, and US Girls’ Junior Champ WGM Zoey Tang.
Ursula Foster Award Memoralizes a Holocaust Survivor and Chess Advocate
Two young chessplayers each year receive a scholarship in memory of Ursula Foster, a Holocaust survivor and a schoolmate of Anne Frank. Foster promoted chess as a way to bring people together. Her life’s dedication to others shows that you can rise above even the worst challenges to make meaningful contributions to society.
Encouraging Academics and Character
With help from the National Scholastic Chess Foundation, we provide scholarships to secondary school students selected for their outstanding achievements in both academics and chess, as well as community service. Women’s Candidate Master 11th-grader Vanessa Zhou from Newberry Park, Calif., captured one of the six 2025 Scholar-Chessplayer awards.
World Chess Hall of Fame, Photo Courtesy Saint Louis Chess Club WCHOF
Samford Fellow & 2025 Girls Junior Champion WGM Zoey Tang, Photo Courtesy Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Oozes
Women’s Candidate Master Vanessa Zhou
World Chess Hall of Fame
The Trust is a proud partner with the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries in Saint Louis. Chief Curator Shannon Bailey’s and Curator Emily Allred’s innovative and exciting programming have brought the history and lore of the game to nearly a quarter of a million visitors. The special “Merry Moves: A Chess-Inspired Holiday Pop-Up in Saint Louis” transforms the whole chess campus into a holiday celebration through December 31, 2025!
“Game Plan: The Strategy of Chess and Sports” opens May 7. Make it a point to enjoy these or many other unique chess exhibits.
Even More Great Programs!
The Trust supports the annual U.S. Blind Chess Championship, the Pan-American Inter-collegiate Championships and the US Final Four of College Chess. We sponsor the WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. And we look for innovative ways to pursue our vision:
All Americans should have the opportunity to learn chess and enjoy its benefits.
Programs that Widen Worlds, Challenge Minds & Improve Lives
To learn more about the good work of the US Chess Trust, please go to:
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