Boundless, an innovative education partnership between Hartford Public Library and Hartford Public Schools, is excited to announce a new free Chess Club for Hartford students and residents ages 13 to 19.
The virtual program, run by Team DIG USA, begins on Tuesday, February 23 and runs through June 27. Register at https://rb.gy/uhiufl or join on Discord: https://discord.gg/9rmfWsUewU.
Call (860) 471-1235 for more information.
DIG will offer three days of instruction a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday) from 7 to 8 pm, game analysis on Saturdays and tournaments/scrimmages on Sundays. Students that join the program will get an official tournament chess set and a chess clock.
Professional chess coaches like International Master Jan Van de Mortel and Sean Parker will be teaching students of all levels, from kids just learning the game to those with more experience.
Van de Mortel was named an international master in 2006 and has been a national champion in 1993 and 1995. He has taught chess at public and private schools and to students of all ages and skill levels.
Sean Parker, a University of Connecticut computer science major, joined DIG as a student in 2018, more than doubling his rating in a year. He started teaching chess in 2019 at the East Hartford Homeless Shelter. He is currently the head coach for the Greenwich Library, New Canaan Library, Bridgeport DIG Chess team and other groups that practice online once a week. He also teaches individual chess lessons.
In addition, thanks to HPL’s exciting new partnership with Foodshare, we are able to offer free weekly groceries for the families of up to 60 participants.
“We are excited to offer this opportunity to teens in Hartford to take advantage of professional chess instruction and free groceries, especially since many have been stuck at home this past year,” said Marie Jarry, director of public services for Hartford Public Library.
For more information about Hartford Public Library, visit www.hplct.org.
For more information about the Boundless program, visit www.boundlesshartford.org.