April 25, 2012

Official Press Release
The U.S. Chess Trust
Contact: info@uschesstrust.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The winners of the 2012 Scholar Chess Player Awards were announced at the National High School Championships (Minneapolis, MN) by Sunil Weeramantry, Scholastic VP for the US Chess Trust and Executive Director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation.

The 2012 Scholar-Chessplayer Award winners are (in alphabetical order):

• Yang Dai, Virginia

• Joshua Mu, North Carolina

• Andrew Ng, New Jersey

• Jesse Orlowski, California

• Alexandra Wiener, Connecticut

Congratulations to the winners for their outstanding achievement!

Meet the 2012 Scholar-Chessplayer Award Winners

Yang Dai

“After three years of sharing chess with my community and teaching over a two hundred kids, I can finally flaunt my ability to shout over screaming children. I thank those kids for giving me a chance to teach a game that has transformed me from an awkward, quiet girl to a confident, capable leader, stripping away a coat of silence that I’d been wearing for too long.” Read more

Joshua Mu

“Ultimately, chess has played a huge role in my life. Not only has the game itself mesmerized me for over a decade in its complexity, but the skills I learned from it have also helped me to think more clearly and reflect more deeply about important decisions in my life. In the end, chess has helped me become a more sophisticated and patient person and prepared me to take on new and greater challenges, both now and in the future.” Read More

Andrew Ng

“Ever since I moved my first pawn at age 6, chess has had some inexplicable hold over my life. In a way, it always had an ineffable presence, guiding me towards my future.  This guidance first began to manifest itself as my skill grew and I began winning national and international tournaments. With my abilities that I have honed through years of training, I started giving back to the community that supported my ascent in the chess world.” Read More

Jesse Orlowski

“The experiences I have had have translated well into other facets of my life. Relying on some ideas I’ve learned from leading over the chessboard, I have assumed leadership positions in music, sports, and relationally with other people. Truly chess has taught me so much. So much more than a game, it is a representation of an entire mindset that has changed forever the way I see the world and interact with it.” Read More

Alexandra Wiener

“Chess, introduced me to a worldwide community that has no limitations on age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, wealth, ability or disability. As a result, I was forced from an early age into situations where I had to interact with people much older and quite different from me.  Even more daunting was the fact that I was often only one of a few girls in a room filled with hundreds of males. Overcoming my discomfort with the environment at chess competitions, taken with my successes as a competitive chess player, have greatly increased my self-confidence and helped me to see that being a chess player made me unique, not a “nerd.” Read More

About the Scholar-Chessplayer Awards Program

The Scholar-Chessplayer Awards program was established in the 1980s, and is administered by the US Chess Federation and the US Chess Trust.

These annual scholarships awarded by the U.S. Chess Trust, the National Scholastic Chess Foundation, and the USCF, are “intended to recognize and encourage high school junior or senior students who promote a positive image of chess.”

High School students who have shown outstanding merits in academics, sportsmanship and chess were eligible to apply for these scholarships. Five awards of $1,500.00 each (total of $7,500) in scholarship money are awarded. The funding for this program is provided by the US Chess Trust, a 501(c)(3) organization and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation.

This year’s students were selected from 58 applicants by a panel of judges appointed by the Scholastic Council of the USCF.  In recognizing this year’s winners, Mr. Weeramantry observed the geographical diversity of the recipients and drew attention to the high calibre of all the applicants.

Thanks to the generosity of it’s long-time supporters, the U.S. Chess Trust continues to fund many wonderful programs including the Scholar-Chessplayer Awards.

A special thanks to the National Scholastic Chess Foundation for their contribution to this program.

About the U.S. Chess Trust

The U.S. Chess Trust is an independent 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.
Created in 1967, the Trust was organized to promote, stimulate and encourage the study and play of the game of chess as a means of intellectual development. The Trust uses its resources for charitable purposes, including social, educational, scientific, historical endeavors. The U.S. Chess Trust takes an active role in supporting chess education programs across the nation. Our Trustees act without compensation, and are dedicated to the U.S. Chess Trust’s mission. Donations to the U.S. Chess Trust are tax-deductible.
For more information about the U.S. Chess Trust please visit: www.uschesstrust.org.

About the United States Chess Federation

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the
improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with over 80,000 members.
For additional information on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.

About the National Scholastic Chess Foundation

The National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) is a non-profit foundation organized for educational purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The NSCF was created in 1991 as a merger between the Westchester Chess Foundation (founded in 1985) and the Fairfield County Chess Foundation. The Executive Director of the NSCF is FIDE Master Sunil Weeramantry.
For additional information on the NSCF see: www.nscfchess.org.