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Unruly Queens Chess Festivals in MA and IN are all Good to Go

As Unruly Queens’ spring series of online classes enters its last three weeks, two offline chess festivals, one in Boston, MA and one in Indianapolis, IN have been well in place to conclude another great season of Unruly Queens women’s chess initiative on a high note. 

In Boston, WIM Kelsey Liu has been in close collaboration with Boylston Chess Club to secure the venue for the much-awaited girls’ event, first time in the area. In addition to a large array of energizing activities including puzzles, blitz and bughouse games, Russian GM Nadya Kosintseva generously offers to give an inspiring lecture. In Indianapolis, Madison Bown partners with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Meridian to carry out another edition of the festival, equally exciting and empowering.

With flyers distributed, T-shirts printed, and volunteers recruited, these two in-person events are all ready to welcome their participants! They will bring together girl players of all ages and levels as well as parents and coaches in the community. A huge thank you to WIM Kelsey Liu and Madison Brown for their devoted and meticulous preparation! Please spread the word and encourage your chess friends in the area to join a fun day of chess learning and play.

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School Flooded, Classes Disrupted, and Salama Students Struggling for Help

Exacerbated by the El Nino pattern, a series of devastating downpours have relentlessly paralyzed the East Africa region, including Kenya. With 200+ people dead and thousands displaced nationwide, schools in the Nairobi area have been closed for weeks, if not destroyed.

Salama Gachie is among the many impoverished schools that are already in distress. Many students have lost their homes or are stranded by the flooding, while the infrastructure in the community, especially the failing drainage system, offers no help. Salama teachers, nevertheless, continue preparing lunch for the students who manage to come, despite the soaring food prices and lingering storms.

It is deeply saddening for the CTC team to hear about what has happened at Salama – our hearts go out to all Salama students and faculty members in hardship! In the meantime, we are seeking donations from our valued contributors and would greatly appreciate any gift that may help the school recover from the disaster!

Please make your donation through Paypal here.      

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Winners of UQ Fall 2023 Series Receive Prizes Upon New Year

As the new year of 2024 knocked on the door, winners of the Unruly Queens online competitions during the Fall 2023 free group lessons received their prizes as an award that recognized their outstanding performance and their dedicated chess study.

Winners of UQ Fall 2023

Winners that emerged from the fun-filled and bustling activities included Freya Austin, Lily Xing, Lilianna Gao & Isabella Gao at the Puzzle Contest, Dena Wang from the Best Game Review, and Matt S., Nathan Kuo, Freya Austin from the Arena Tournament.

Prizes for the winners were sponsored again by the grant that Unruly Queens was awarded for the 2023-2024 cycle, including chess hoodies and the newly released chess book Play Like a Champion: Chess Tactics from the Greats by the former US Chess Women Director Jennifer Shehade.

The team of Unruly Queens instructors would like to congratulate these winners one more time on their great work! The team also thanks everyone at the series for their consistent participation and looks forward to welcoming them back in the spring!

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