Justus has had an affinity for the game of chess since he learned how to play at the age of eight. With the help of an extremely dedicated mother, hundreds of Chess in the Schools and Marshall Chess Club tournaments, and, most importantly, weekends spent playing chess at Washington Square Park, he was able to achieve the rank of master by the age of twelve. He went on to become an International Master and is currently working towards becoming a Grand Master—he received his first GM norm in November 2022 at the Charlotte Chess Center!! With a collection of National and State championships under his belt, Justus is now using his gift of chess to provide kids throughout New York and St. Louis, Missouri with the same opportunity that he was blessed to receive himself. While in College, Justus founded Black Squares Network, bringing his passion for chess to black youth in St. Louis and working to cultivate a more powerful black culture within the chess community. He also developed a program to bring chess to the St. Louis County jail and was instrumental in creating its first chess tournament in which over 100 inmates participated. He is a dedicated and highly sought-after chess coach—most recently at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School (CGPS)—and is beloved by students and families who are inspired by his story. Justus’s youth is documented in the 2012 film Brooklyn Castle, which recounts the transformative role of chess in the lives of five members of the championship chess team at I.S. 318, a middle school in NYC where over 70% of the students come from families below the poverty line and where over 90% of the students are Latino, Black, or Asian/Pacific descent. He hopes not only for his students to become strong chess players, but, more importantly, he wants the chess board to positively mold their character. Justus is now teaming up with CTC as a Creative Director to continue his quest of using chess to improve the lives of kids at home and around the world.