Black Squares

11/10/2021

We heard there are some young lions in Indiana so..... this Sunday we're heading back up there ! With an afternoon full of activities, this is going to be a goodie 😉

11/10/2021

Will the boy, the myth, the soon to be legend get the best of The Director ⁉️ Tune in Thursday at 3pm CST/4pm EST on Chess.com/TV to find out 😉

10/16/2021

🔟Moves Ahead Is The Mission. hosted its first tournament of the school year and welcomed the future stars of the St. Louis’s chess movement. We are extremely proud of our young students and are beyond excited to build the legacy of Black Squares 1️⃣move at a time. All kids are welcome to join our Black Squares family. Contact for further information.

08/07/2021

There is something special happening in St. Louis chess culture. The amazing impact of Black Squares chess program has made it to national platforms! We would like to give a huge thanks to Nancy Chen and CBS This Morning for allowing us to share our mission with the world. Please visit the link in our bio to view this inspiring story on the importance of our work. Please consider becoming a monthly giver and supporter of our work. Visit our website to donate or learn more about our programs.

In 2010, at the age of 12, Justus Williams became the youngest African-American national chess master. Correspondent Nancy Chen shows us what he's doing now ...

07/30/2021

This week our founder, Fide Master and National Master Justus Williams, took a trip to New York and was a guest on Premier Chess podcast. We discussed various topics including the importance of Black Squares in the community, his chess travels around the world, and different tools for chess towards chess improvement!

Check it out here

In Episode 166, I converse with FIDE Master Justus Williams, Founder of Black Squares, which offers a range of opportunities for St. Louis city youth aged 6-18 to engage with chess. through an after-school program, group lessons and play, and week...

07/26/2021

This past weekend, Black Squares hosted another tournament in the St. Louis County Jail. Through our donations, we were able to donate chess sets to the residents inside! Join us in supporting those who use chess as a form of reformation by donating to Black Squares with the link in our bio.

06/30/2021

Thank you Grandmaster Maurice Ashley for making an appearance and dropping gems on the dynamics of the game! We discussed our vision for Black Squares and Dream Builders 4 Equity in the St. Louis community, and the impressions we're leaving on our youth. Later, Grandmaster Ashley played our tournament winner, Isaiah. The game was tough but Isaiah held his own! Thank you Grand Master Ashley for stopping by, it was a pleasure having you!

06/14/2021

This Saturday at Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, Black Squares students competed in their first chess tournament. We are beyond proud of these bright players for not just showing up, but showing outstanding sportsmanship!

We were able to capture a lot of key moments from the players, including their perspectives on their wins, losses, the pressures of big games, and what they learned from their experiences.

If you would like to sign your child up to participate in our chess tournaments this summer, please fill the link in the bio.

05/06/2021

Let's keep it going! Link in the bio.

Thank you STL!!

05/06/2021

Studies show that people who play chess on a regular basis experience rapid growth and development of cognitive skills like concentration, logic, planning, decision making, and self-discipline.

Today Black Squares offers a range of opportunities for theunderrepresented communities throughout the St. Louis area to engage with chess with an increased focus on the youth. We offer a competitive chess program that will encourage our students to compete in local and national competitions.

The Black Squares program creates critical access to the chess world for Black young people in North City and across St. Louis. Chess provides another outlet for success and new experiences, while opening an avenue for youth to develop their own mechanisms for problem solving that's applicable to their daily lives. We believe our program creates the space for the youth to develop their critical thinking skills, grapple with spirited competition, and accurately assess decisions based on their consequences. Most importantly, it allows for our participants to visualize feasible futures and access to tools that will help them in obtaining those futures.

We’re doing this in St. Louis, but we’re proving that our model can work nationwide.

If you’re able, we would love your support in our GoFundMe.

Let’s build a better, more equitable St. Louis, and then a better country.

You can donate to the GoFundMe link in bio.