Submitted by Alfonse Akins
Benjamin Liang, a member of the Scotch Plains Chess Club, finished in the Top 10 of the 2017 New Jersey Elementary (K-8) Chess Championship hosted by the New Jersey State Chess Federation in Morristown, New Jersey. Ben is a founding member of the Scotch Plains Chess Club and has been very active since the inception of the club earlier this year. Under the direction of the Chess Club instructor, Errol Singh, Ben competed against 88 other players from across the state in the elementary school division.
The Scotch Plains Chess Club is extremely grateful to the Scotch Plains Library Staff for their help and support over the last year – especially our Library Director, Ms. Michelle Willis. Their team has provided tremendous support to run the Scotch Plains Chess Club since the start of the program. As of our last meeting, membership enrollment has grown from the original 8 students to more than 75! Our average attendance rate is approximately 30 students per session – more than the planned maximum headcount of 16!
Founded and managed by the Scotch Plains Recreation Vice Chairman, Mr. Alfonse Akins, the Scotch Plains Chess Club is an organization dedicated to the advancement of Chess in the town of Scotch Plains. Our instructors work hard to maintain a good balance between teaching serious Chess and allowing the students to connect and network socially in an environment that supports their social and intellectual development. We just try to minimize the silliness without making things too boring for the kids. Our Club is semi competitive and the students love it!
Since we never turn away any student, we are now in need of additional equipment (chess sets and clocks) for the students that show up during our scheduled sessions. Simply put, we need additional Chess sets to keep every student occupied.
If you have the means to help, please go to these Amazon links (Chess Sets: : http://a.co/25XDKt3 and Chess Clocks: http://a.co/2klkL5j ) to purchase and donate a set to our club at P.O. Box 216, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076.
If you would like more information, please contact Alfonse Akins at (917) 426-2449 or email at spfchessclub@gmail.com.
