Chris Johnson and Abdul Sulaiman, Jr., grew up playing chess together while living in the same building in the Morrisania neighborhood. They then formed a youth chess club called Project Pawn, which has been going for more than 11 years and can be found in local schools.
Growing up, chess was a way for them to escape the neighborhood and have new experiences since competitions took them all over the country.
Johnson and Sulaiman, Jr. have brought a taste of that experience to the thousands of young people from kindergarten through high school who have played with Project Pawn over the past 11 years. Next month, the pair is expanding beyond its current reach of 40 public and charter schools throughout the city and into its own flagship space in Clasen Point.
“We’re really excited about it,” Sulaiman, Jr. told the Bronx Times.
For him and Johnson, chess is much more than a game. Project Pawn uses chess to teach important life skills, including patience, strategic thinking, focus, mental endurance, decision-making, and problem-solving. It also relates to many academic areas, especially STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, and Math) fields.
“You can’t reinvent the game, but you can recreate the approach to it,” said Sulaiman, Jr. Many kids are reluctant to try chess and can see it as boring compared to sports or video games. But once they try it and see gradual improvement, they often become hooked, Johnson said.
He said it is common for a group to start with just a few kids, before growing to 20 or 25. As they develop their winning strategies, their confidence builds. “The kids really take to it,” he said.
Many parents have noticed the difference.
Project Pawn “has created a safe and nurturing environment for these children to learn and grow,” said Hassan Khan in a statement, whose son has participated through his school in Jamaica, Queens. “As a native of the Bronx, Chris understands the challenges that many of these children face on a daily basis and he is dedicated to helping them overcome adversity through the game of chess.”
And that positivity often extends to other areas of life, especially for kids who are not very social or athletic, said Sulaiman, Jr. He said they often see young people near the bottom of their class academically who make great strides after participating in chess, building up their critical thinking skills and sense of self-worth.
Because the game has intergenerational appeal and doesn’t even require speaking, many kids who have a hard time fitting in can easily find their place in the world through chess.
“Chess is its own community, its own world,” he said.
With the expansion happening soon, Sulaiman, Jr. and Johnson are setting their sights on creating even more chess centers throughout the city and helping more young people thrive.
“There’s so much hidden talent in the Bronx,” said Sulaiman, Jr., who described chess as a “catalyst” for success in school and life. “We are driven by passion and seeing the youth excel.”
Project Pawn holds bi-weekly youth tournaments, and a competition is held in the city almost every week. It also occasionally holds adult seminars.
“Chess is the great connector,” Johnson said. For more information on the organization and how to get involved, see https://www.projectpawngroup.com/
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
