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Featured on NY1 Noticias

We’re proud to share NY1 Noticias’ feature on Freedom’s Gambit.

(English translation below.)

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Two Young Mentors Teaching Chess to Students with Incarcerated Parents

By Angie Hernandez, New York
PUBLISHED 9:10 PM ET Oct. 22, 2024

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Nico Chasin and Jack Levine have been playing chess for nearly a decade and are national champions in the sport.

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"Chess is a powerful life tool because it teaches resilience, patience, and critical thinking," said Levine, co-founder of Freedom’s Gambit.

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A year ago, Chasin and Levine founded Freedom’s Gambit, an organization that teaches chess at various schools to students whose parents are in prison.

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“Seeing them learn, completely focused and excited about this activity, is wonderful,” said Chasin.

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Nico learned to play chess at the age of 4, with a former inmate as his teacher. For both Chasin and Levine, it was important to teach in communities with limited opportunities.

Through an extracurricular program with Children of Promise—a nonprofit that provides counseling and support services—Nico and Jack teach chess to students in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

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“The kids have changed so much that they don’t even want to play basketball as much anymore; now they want to play chess," said Luis Pelaez, a counselor at Children of Promise.

According to Pelaez, the students in these classes are learning to practice patience and discipline.

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“One of the kids told me, 'Mr. Luis, the game of chess is like a move in life; you have to take your time and think before you act.' Hearing that was powerful for me, seeing how the children have developed over this past year with Nico and Jack, and how chess is shaping their thinking,” added Pelaez.

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As a nod to my own high school chess days, I decided to take on these champions in a game. Although Nico beat me, Jack and I ended up with a tie.

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Chasin and Levine hope to bring chess to more children and teens across the city’s five boroughs. For more information about the organization, you can visit their website at freedomsgambit.org.