Beloved chess families,

We have long had an open-door policy on scholarships. We try to include everyone in the ICN tent, regardless of their financial status. Sometimes this means reducing or waiving a camp fee, other times it means figuring out transportation and lodging so that a child can attend a major travel tournament. We have seen how transformative it can be when a promising young player is given an opportunity they would not have otherwise had.

We are tremendously happy about our growth as a company, but with this growth comes increased costs. A significant source of this is a growing cohort of families who deeply value the services we provide, but who do not have the resources to afford it comfortably. As a small company we could always say yes and include everyone. That has been a bedrock principle of ours.

It is no exaggeration to say that some of our absolute strongest players we have ever produced came through scholarships we provided. Tanitoluwa Adewumi is the most salient example, but many kids from poorer backgrounds attended ICN events on a full ride to achieve expert chess level. This of course changed their lives beyond chess as well; some of these students went on to attend Ivy League colleges and truly achieve the American dream.

In order to keep this opportunity open, we need the help of our incredible community of families.

We invite you to join us for the 1st Annual ICN End of Year Gala in partnership with The Gift of Chess, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on Wednesday, June 18th from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm at our Clubhouse (308 West 46th St). 

We will provide food, drinks, and childcare (children attend for free!). All of our directors will be onsite to greet you. Auctioned items will include

• An ICN Golden Ticket - a lifetime pass to all ICN camps, tournaments, and after-school)

• “Director for a Day” - your child gets to direct their program alongside their Program Director for the day

• Personal field trips to Washington Square Park with our coaches

• A complete chess ball set, one from each of our 37 programs

And many, many more!

We hope to see every one of you! You’re invited!