One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship

“Quiet moves often make a stronger impression than a wild combination with heavy sacrifices.”

— Mikhail Tal, 1960 World Chess Champion (the youngest ever champion at the time)

Tal’s insight, perhaps unexpected from the Grandmaster widely considered to be the most daring, brilliant, and creative attacking player in history, is as apt today as it was when was at his peak.

As our attention spans decrease in the face of viral soundbites, bluster, and pomp, the art of careful planning, executing with precision, and quietly building real value that lasts has become underappreciated.

Chess, one of the oldest games we have, teaches us planning and foresight, winning and losing, and the consequences of our actions.

When we fail to parry a clever attack or find ourselves in zugzwang, it does not allow us to blame anything but our own lack of foresight and ingenuity, and paves the way for us to plan more thoughtfully next time.

Chess teaches us problem solving skills and creative thinking. It is both art and science, exercising both sides of our brain equally.

It hones our mind and even been shown to be correlated with reduced rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Chess is, as Grandmaster Judit Polgár put it, “a game for everybody: rich, poor, girl, boy, old, young. It’s a fantastic game which can unite people and generations!”

In chess as in life, it is those among us with foresight, creativity, and the ability to think independently that rise to our full potential.

And today, we need more of our youngest, most talented minds to take up the mantle of rising to their full potential.

It is with this in mind that we’ve created the One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship. We invite students who play chess at any level to apply!