Chicago high school students from the Chicago Chess Foundation (CCF) recently visited Ghana to teach and play chess with Ghanaian students. The trip, sponsored by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, was designed to promote intercultural communication among youths in both countries.
Chess Foundation Teaching Ghanaian Students
Six students from CCF, including Jack Heller and Santino Vega, traveled to Ghana and held chess competitions for Ghanaian students, as well as hosting a free chess festival for adults and children during their visit. The Chicago students also visited the capital city of Accra and Cape Coast Castle, an infamous way station in the slave trade, where they learned about the history of the area.
The Importance of Chess Programs
The CCF provides chess instruction, training, and competitive opportunities to Chicago students, including free tournaments across the city, reaching thousands of children each year. According to Matthew Kearney, executive director of the Chicago Chess Foundation, the game of chess is gaining popularity, and the chess community in Chicago is quite large. The foundation is seeking out schools with low-income students who would otherwise not have the resources, opportunity, or community buy-in to have chess programs.
During the pandemic, the CCF created a partnership with Ghanaian students called the Ghana-Chicago Chess Exchange. Students competed in a chess tournament online each month and participated in virtual breakout sessions where they discussed their cultures.
The Success of the Trip
The success of this trip has led to the organization already submitting the paperwork to go to Ghana next year, and they hope to bring Ghanaian youth to the United States for a tournament. Through the Ghana-Chicago Chess Exchange, students from both countries have been able to learn about each other’s cultures through chess. The success of the trip to Ghana has paved the way for future exchanges, and the hope is that the exchange will continue to promote cross-cultural understanding among youths in both countries.
