The Greene School Secures Prestigious US Chess Grant To Champion Girls' Participation In Chess

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- The Greene School is proud to announce that its distinguished Chess Program has been awarded a significant United States of America Chess Federation (USCF) Women's Regional Grant Funding for the 2025-2026 academic year. The grant was secured by National Coach and program founder, Antonios Loudaros, to launch the C.H.E.S.S. (Challenging a Higher Education for Students) pilot program specifically for young girls.
The grant, which supports the USCF's national mission to educate, retain, and promote women and girls in chess, will fund a program running from October 2025 to June 2026 at The Greene School in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The C.H.E.S.S. program is designed for girls ages 5-11 in grades K-6 and aims to significantly increase both the participation and achievement of girls in USCF tournaments. Currently, only 6-8% of scholastic chess players nationally are girls, making this initiative a crucial step toward gender equity in the "mind sport."
Empowerment and Education: The program will offer free sessions, tournament scholarships, and awards to encourage growth in both chess and academics.
Expected Outcomes: Participating girls are expected to develop higher-order thinking skills and demonstrate immediate academic improvements in math, science, and reading.

Competitive Goals: The school anticipates a minimum 50 percent increase in the number of girls participating and achieving top-three awards in local and State tournaments, providing the confidence to compete at the Florida State Girls Chess Championships and National Girls Chess Championships in 2026.
Coach Loudaros, who is in his 9th year coaching chess at The Greene School, commented on the importance of the program:“The benefits of a solid chess program are life-learned skills! Our goal with C.H.E.S.S. is to empower, educate, and significantly increase our girls' achievement. I truly believe our motto for the program is 'WIN - DRAW - LEARN.'”

The Greene School Chess Program, which has grown to an impressive 76 players (including 37 girls in grades K-7) under the guidance of Coaches Loudaros and Matt Kolcz, is already a force on the national stage. The program has been recognized as Palm Beach County's six-time chess champion, has won a State Championship, and has placed in the top three at National Chess Championships.

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