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2023 CTC In-person Chess Mini-camp in Kenya Announced

As CTC’s Global Outreach leadership team meticulously laid out the logistics and put into action their plan for the upcoming trip to Kenya, their offering of CTC’s first in-person chess mini-camp in Nairobi was officially announced.

The camp, led by WIM Ellen Wang, IM Evan Park, IM Nico Chasin and IM Justus Williams, will take place in Verona Hotel and Conference Center in Ruiru over the weekend of March 25th and 26th. It features intensive and comprehensive trainings in all aspects of the game, including tactics, openings, middle game strategies, positional play, and endgames. Players in the Nairobi area at all levels are welcome to register and will be divided into 2-3 level-based groups to receive differentiated instructions. Thanks to the generous donations CTC collected through its fundraising event on March 4th, the team will be able to offer chess.com gold memberships to campers, together with custom designed T-shirt and souvenirs, as well as a free buffet lunch to all. In addition to the formal AM and PM sessions, campers are encouraged to stay for extra hours and play casual games with the instructors for bonding and socialization.

The camp announcement has quickly attracted huge attention not only from the group study students with IM Nico Chasin, but also from local chess clubs within and beyond Nairobi, with over 60 spots taken within two days. The entire leadership team is excited for the opportunity to meet with the enthusiastic Kenyan chess player and assist with their chess study. What is more, CTC hopes that campers will be inspired by CTC’s dedication to serving and connecting chess communities and will join CTC’s effort to help the less-equipped and underserved chess players and families, a critical measure to secure the sustainability of CTC’s outreach initiative in Kenya.

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1st CTC Global Outreach Fundraiser is Sensational

On the drizzly but refreshing Saturday morning of March 4th, nearly 100 CTC supporters hailed from every corner of NYC and gathered at the Pasanella & Son Vintners at 115 South Street to attend CTC’s first Global Outreach Fundraiser.

The backroom of the wineshop was packed with chess players at all levels, from beginners to grandmasters, from youth international champions to experienced coaches. They were joined by their friends from schools, neighborhoods and families, whose presence exemplified the power of the game to build and connect communities. Exhilarating games of blitz and bughouse filled the whole morning with electrifying energy and contagious laughs, and everyone in the room was touched by the heartfelt speech that the team delivered.

The amount of funds raised through this fundraiser is by all means humbling—92 donors has contributed a total of over $15,000 and the numbers continue rising days after the event. The incredible generosity by CTC donors ensures the success of its upcoming outreach trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and will facilitate the future expansion of CTC’s global outreach endeavors.

In a post-event thank-you message, the team wrote: “We would like to extend a huge, sincere thank you to everyone. Without you, none of our visions would come to life—every word of encouragement and every donation means the world to us, and to our students.”
heartening when we receive a donation from you! Thank you for being with us in a great cause to help the under-resourced chess communities. Your generosity means a lot to

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Efforts Underway for CTC’s 1st In-Person Workshops in Nairobi, Kenya

A CTC leadership team, consisting of WIM Ellen Wang, IM Evan Park, IM Nico Chasin and IM Justus Williams, will soon embark on its first trip to Nairobi, Kenya in March 2023 to meet with the Kenyan youth chess players that have been with CTC’s global outreach initiative.

The week-long trip will begin with a three-day after-school chess workshop at the Salama Gachie community school, where WIM Ellen Wang has been teaching remotely since 2016 and was later joined by IM Evan Park in 2022. The current chess club members, reunited with the alumni from high schools, will have the very rare opportunity to take in-person chess instructions and to practice together. Afterwards, CTC will offer a two-day intensive mini-camp to the competitive Kenyan youth players in the Nairobi area, who have been studying with IM Nico Chasin since Dec. 2022.

Being able to o meet face-to-face with CTC’s students that have been learning over Zoom and Skype will be a crucial exercise in coalition building and will help reinforce the connection between students and instructors. During the trip, CTC will also visit the local public schools and meet with Kenyan chess officials to discuss on the potential of future expansion of its global outreach programs in an effort to further develop CTC’s outreach in Nairobi and other areas in Kenya.

To help fund this trip as well as many other CTC’s global outreach programs, CTC calls for donations through its fundraising event scheduled on March 4th. Please come play the nation’s chess talents and be part of a great cause.

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