Developers of the Elephant & Castle shopping centre are providing free chess sets and lessons to local children.
The charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) will be coming to five schools in Elephant and Castle, starting this September, thanks to funding from the real estate and advisory firm Delancey.
CSC will offer free chess lessons and after-school clubs to the five schools, and the charity will gift every child in the programme a chess set.
The sponsorship will also fund a chess club in a Southwark library.
Around this time next year, there will also be a massive chess tournament, and every student who is part of the chess programme will be able to attend.
CSC is a charity in the UK that aims to improve education and overcome social exclusion by introducing children to the game of chess.
“There is a growing field of scientific research into the benefits of chess as an educational intervention,” stated Malcolm Pein, the CEO of Chess in Schools and Communities.
“Chess teaches cognitive and social skills that can be applied in later life, such as logical thinking, problem solving and taking responsibility for one’s actions.”
“We have worked closely with CSC over the last five years, supporting their programmes in the boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham,” Jamie Ritblat, the founder and CEO of Delancey, commented.
“We are delighted that we are now able to extend this work to those living in Elephant and Castle.”