Chess For Social Impact

Stories are powerful, we believe that everything we do is a story to tell, our inspirations are rooted in stories and every story has a moral lesson it passes on.

Today's story is so deep!! We tell the chess story, what do you know about Chess for many, it's just a game, but for Adekunle Emmanuel, founder of Chess to School Initiative in Nigeria, It's more than a game. It's so much more,  May you be inspired!!!

 What inspired you to start Chess to School?

In one word, the answer is "LOVE". 

Love for the children to help them see that their "background" should not put their back to the ground.

We wanted to help the children see a different narrative that their environment is not necessarily where they belong. They can do great things even in the unlikeliest of environments or circumstances.

 Growing up, did you love chess?

Hmmm, I won't say an Immediate yes to that question, because as a young child, I didn't know the game,  Until a friend of mine brought it to our house on this faithful day and asked me if I knew how to play it and I said 'No' and he showed me how to play, how the pieces move, and we started playing.

Though I was just playing it for fun, I gradually began loving it and finally began to see that it was beyond the 32 pieces moving across the 64 squares on board.

Why Chess and not any other game?

Growing up, we played a lot of games and we felt no one could claim that he was the best at any of those games, because most of them were purely dependent on luck, so if luck should be on your side you win, and if not you lose.

But when it comes to chess, it's totally in your hands. You win or lose, it is in your hands, you don't have the luxury of playing with levity because of this you just have to be focused 101%.

Another reason why we choose chess is because it relates a lot to real-life situations, you Strategize, make decisions,  trade, defend, plan an attack, set traps, and also take caution of traps that are being set for you. Just like in real life, you don't have all the time to do this, it same as chess, you have a certain amount of time to play the game, Chess teaches you time management amongst other things. The game is just too "Beautiful ".

 What impact have you had on communities through Chess?

We have trained over 200 kids in the slums how to play the game of chess, and they have been participating in both local and international tournaments. We have provided school materials for vulnerable children, and through chess, we have been able to help kids with social anxiety, depression, and fears, get over their worries, and another in their career paths and education. 

In the Odogunyan community of Ikorodu, we have been able to host the first-of-its-kind movie show, a movement that was made to inspire kids in slums. We have helped over 25 children develop their talents which they are benefiting from to date. 

We don’t just teach them chess, we teach them morals, values, and etiquette. 

In Abeokuta Ogun state, we have launched a project to utilize the game of chess as a tool to help incarcerated children in juvenile prisons. These are the ways we are giving to the communities. 

What challenges have you faced on your journey?

 One of the challenges we have faced is having to help the kids see that it's more than a game, and also having to convince school owners and parents to allow their children to participate in this life-changing opportunity.

We live in a society where money seems to rule, so when you come up with an idea that is not going to give money to people they are more likely to turn you down.

And also we have financial challenges, because we don't just want to help these kids be great at chess but also in other aspects of their life, some of them don't have the opportunity to be in school, some don't have any skills and these are things we are currently working on trying to do to help these kids find their feet in life.

Share a remarkable experience that changed your perspective on Chess

 The story is actually of the first school where we started teaching chess, these students had no interest in anything, they were so indifferent to a lot of things, but when we introduced the game of chess to them, though they had no prior knowledge or interest they fell in love with it, and gradually their interest in the game started leading to their interest in other things, even their academic grades became better.

 Is Chess more than a game to you? 

Yes,  CHESS IS LIFE.

What would you love the world to learn from your story?

 Two things basically, and I'm going to be very straightforward,

Nothing is impossible: Looking back at where we started and where we are right now, it is evident enough, because we started with one board and one child but now we have more kids wanting to play the game and loving it more. So it doesn't matter what you want to do in life, you can always succeed, no matter how difficult it might seem, just believe.

TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO PLAY CHESS: Our dream is to see every child playing chess, be it professionally or not, every child is supposed to know about this "Beautiful game".

What advice can you give to the young people who aspire to use Chess as a tool for impact?

Go ahead, let nothing stop you, we need more people to learn about this beauty called "CHESS"

But what you should never forget is what you said you want to do "Use chess as a tool for IMPACT"

Five years from now, what do you envision about Chess?

I envision every child in school sitting down in the classroom and learning about Chess. It would also be beautiful to see people so energized to participate in Chess just like other Olympic games celebrated in the world. I imagine Chess at FIDE,  the International Chess Federation just as football at FIFA.

Thank you Emmanuel for sharing your story, we need more young people such as you using available and innovative avenues like chess to deal with the societal challenges we face in our communities.