Chess For Success
Welcome to our CafeGive page, where you can shop to help our cause. Thanks for your support. We can think of no better way to share our success than these statements from our chess community.
—Julie Young, Executive Director
Chess For Success
"Dear Chess for Success,
Thanks for working hard to make chess a lot of fun!! It was fun playing in tournaments, fun being with friends!! My thanks could fill a roomful of chess boards and fill every square!! So thanks a bunch!"
"We've seen students take on challenges they would have otherwise avoided because they know that success can come in many forms, including failure, because that's what they learn through playing chess."
About Chess for Success
Originally formed in 1992 as the Portland Chess Project, Chess for Success is the outgrowth of a passionate commitment to education by three friends: Frank Eiseman, Phillip Margolin and Richard Roy, who all saw firsthand the power chess had to change a young person's life.
Starting with nine schools and 200 students in inner-city Portland, Chess for Success has thrived. Last year, more than 3,200 students participated in Chess for Success. This year, Chess for Success is on 85 schools in 16 school districts across Oregon and SW Washington.
The program is simple: by teaching students the game of chess they are learning the high level critical thinking, problem-solving skills and self-confidence which are essential for success in school and in life.
Results Across the Board
Chess for Success is having a tangible impact on the lives of students who, too often, are wrongly tagged for failure.
The students who participate in Chess for Success are:
- 17% more successful in math
- 10% better in reading
- more self-confident
- 35% girls (Nationally, less than 10% of girls play chess)
- 69% live in poverty
For nearly 20 years Chess for Success has been igniting student's success; using chess as a fun, challenging vehicle to improve critical thinking, decision-making and self-esteem for success today and the future.
