News

Just before Kenyan schools break for the rest of August, 19 Salama players hailing from 7 affiliated schools delivered over-the-board outstanding results that served as a testament to their chess prowess and perseverance…

On the last two days of her third trip to Nairobi, Kenya, WIM Ellen Wang visited Salama Gachie Community School and was warmly welcomed by chess club members and alumni. The visit was packed with engaging games and instruction but was also a celebration of the amazing chess accomplishments that the Salama community had achieved…

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… 

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…

After 4 days of 8 exciting and grueling games at the Kenya National Youth Chess Championships, a thrilling piece of news made a sensation in the Salama community – Gloria Wakoli Mbolo became the very first Salama player who qualified for the African Youth Chess Championship (AYCC)…

Thanks to the gracious gift from a CTC donor, solicited by CTC Director of Fundraising Adamson Steiner and CTC President of Global Outreach IM Evan Park, the first puzzle contest for Salama schools was held successfully on April 9th at the Salama Gachie Primary School…

The Kiambu Regional Qualifiers for the 2024 Kenya National Youth Chess Championship (KNYCC) took place at Limuru Girls High School on March 23rd, when Salama players impressed the Kenyan chess community once again with 20 qualifiers to the national arena…

The Unruly Queens Women’s Chess Initiative recently announced its Spring 2024 series. In addition to the online lessons that have been well established for many seasons, the Spring 2024 series will feature two chess festivals in MA and IN, hosted by UQ lead instructors…

On the beautiful day of March 1st, 2024, representatives from The Gift of Chess, including its Director of Global Outreach, Ms. Phylis Ngigi, visited Salama Gachie Community School and generously donated 35 chess boards to 12 alumni and affiliated schools within the greater Salama community…

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…

A group of players from the Salama chess community, accompanied by teachers and their families, enjoyed a feast at Nairobi’s signature Carnivore Restaurant, thanks to the vouchers they recently won at the 2023 Potterhouse Chess Championship…

The Unruly Queens women chess initiative recently announced its 2023 Fall Online Lesson Series, which immediately welcomed a huge influx of registrations. With a generous $2000 grant by US Chess Women Committee, the new series has so much more than before to offer…

A milestone was achieved for the Salama chess community at the recently concluded 2023 Potterhouse Chess Championship in Nairobi – Salama Gachie Primary School was placed 2nd for the team award and took home the very first school trophy…

A group of 4 experienced CTC instructors, David Li, Ryan Zhu, Florina Zhu and Max Mottola, is launching a new program of online instructions to help African chess beginners jump-start their chess journey. The first series of online sessions, as a pilot project of…

Two nationally ranked chess enthusiasts, Max Mottola from NY and Elsie Kamoni in Nairobi, Kenya recently joined CTC and were appointed NY Chapter Leader of Global Outreach and Chess Ambassador in Africa. Their passion for the game and their dedication…

30 Chess players within the Salama chess community, including current club members at the Salama Gachie Primary School and club alumni at nearby day or boarding secondary schools, attended the Kenya National Youth Chess Camp 2023…

7 Salama players, who earned their eligibilities for the 2023 Kenya Schools National Chess Championship from the Nairobi regional qualifiers competed fiercely at the national stage. The tournament took place at the Wellspring School in Nakuru county, a three-hour…

Chess Journalists of America (CJA), which recognizes the best national in print and digital communications that promote the game of chess, released the list of 2023 CJA Awards winners yesterday. Two coverages of the 2022 Fall Unruly Queens Chess Festival …

July 29th, 2023 marks a milestone for CTC’s Global Outreach Initiative, as WIM Ellen Wang brought 15 players from Salama Gachie Primary School and Gachie High School to compete at the Nairobi Schools Qualifiers—the very first tournament for the…

The school year was ending soon, and it was high time that chess girls gathered to celebrate another year of hard work over the chess board. With this in mind, Unruly Queens partnered with New Jersey’s prominent Chess4Girls….

Great news came from the just ended 2023 Canadian Transnational Chess Championship, where Unruly Queens lead instructor Alice Lee earned her third IM norm with dazzling performance, surpassed the FIDE rating threshold of 2400….

At the request of CM Ben Magana, the highest rated Kenyan chess player and coach, CTC has launched free group lessons for Kisumu youth players. The lessons are instructed by WIM Ellen Wang and are set up on a weekly basis to meet the needs of….

The 2023 All-girls National Chess Championship took place from April 28th to April 30th in Chicago, where 471 girl players hailed from 35 states and competed fiercely for girls’ national championship titles. CTC Founder & President WIM Ellen Wang dominated the under-16 section….
The Unruly Queens Spring 2023 Free Online Group Lessons, running from April 4th to June 6th, started off with great liveliness and palpable energy, boasting over 90 registrations that more than doubled the participation in the previous season….

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….

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….

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 leadership team of CTC Global Outreach, consisting of 9 regional leaders and coordinators, diligently collected chess books and magazines in the past two months and is sending 208 of them to Salama Gachie Community School in Nairobi, Kenya….

At the recently concluded 2022 National K-12 Grade Championships, which boasted the record-breaking attendance of 2481 participants, CTC leaders took home multiple individual and team championship titles….

To serve the needs of African youth chess players with tournament experience, Nico Chasin, a new member of CTC Global Outreach who recently earned his third International Master norm….
The chess library project under CTC Global Outreach has received tremendous acclaims and generous support from the chess communities since it was launched in September. 3 regional chapters have been….

On October 9th, 2022, Washington Square Park bustled with vigorous and bubbly chess energy: Unruly Queens Fall 2022 Chess Festival was held in the park’s chess plaza under the cheerful October sunshine….

Laurel Aronian and Madison Brown, the Connecticut and Indiana State Representatives at the 11th Annual WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions, recount their memorable….

With the goal to better formulate and coordinate on its fundraising strategies, CTC has welcomed chess enthusiast Adamson Steiner to the position of Director of Fundraising. Adamson is an 8th grader….

CTC’s Global Outreach initiative has launched the project to build a chess library for the chess club at Salama Gachie (SG) School in Kenya! Since the establishment of the SG Chess Club in 2016….

Unruly Queens’ first post-pandemic in-person event, the Fall 2022 Unruly Queens Chess Festival, is drumming up the nation’s collective effort to promote the game among young girls and to close….

FM Alice Lee and WIM Zoey Tang, nationally #1 chess girls for their age groups, have accepted the invitation by Unruly Queens to join its faculty team starting Fall 2022. “We are so excited that Alice and Zoey will….

Holly Krause, an art enthusiast from Great Neck South High School Class of 2025, is joining CTC as the new Director of Graphic and Web Design. CTC truly appreciates Holly’s recognition…..

CTC is excited to welcome a new team member, David Li, to join the Global Outreach Program and take the position of Managing Director. An avid chess fan and a quickly improving chess player….

Two stars from the 2022 US Junior Girls’ Chess Championship, WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki and WGM Jennifer Yu, were warmly welcomed by thirty or so excited participants at the UQ Summer Group Lessons….

The CTC Global Outreach Initiative is pleased to announce that International Master Evan Park of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is joining CTC and will spearhead the initiative together with WIM Ellen Wang….

As the long-awaited beautiful summer draws closer, CTC is proud to announce the new series of Unruly Queens free online chess lessons that spans over 10 Tuesday evenings throughout….

It is CTC’s greatest honor to receive a grant of $1500 from the US Chess Women Committee for the 2022-2023 cycle, as a recognition of its dedicated endeavors to promote girls’ power….

CTC is very excited to share the great news that WGM Jennifer Shahade, two-time US Women Champion and Director of US Chess Women Committee, is holding a lecture & book signing event at the elite Marshall Chess Club….

We are excited to share the great news that CTC’s founder WIM Ellen Wang has accepted the invitation to play at the 2022 US Girls Junior Chess Championship at the world famous Saint Louis Chess Club….

In recognition of Unruly Queens (UQ) as the next generation of chess advocates for aspiring young women, National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) and Internet Chess Club (ICC)….

At the invitation of CTC’s founder WIM Ellen Wang, WIM Evelyn Zhu wrote for the Chess Connections Magazine about her inspiring comeback story at 2019 New York State….

Big congratulations to CTC’s founder WIM Wang on her stellar performance at the 2021 North American Junior Chess Championship in Charlotte NC! With a clear first of 7.5/9….

With much success in Unruly Queens online lecture and camps series in the previous school year, we are happy to announce the Fall 2021 UQ group lessons that run over five Thursdays from October to….