MADISON – The U.S. Chess Federation has presented a grant to Madison City Chess League.

In spring of 2018, the U.S. Chess Federation announced a grant opportunity that the St. Louis Chess Club in Missouri would fund to support programs for women and girls to play chess.

“Applications were due in May 2018, and the Madison City Chess League was one of 11 organizations awarded a grant to support its girls’ chess programs,” MCCL Executive Director Ranae Bartlett said.

“We are using the grant to help fund our first trip to the 2020 All Girls National Chess Championship, which will occur on April 17-19, 2020 in Wheeling, Ill. outside Chicago. We will charter bus transportation to the event,” Bartlett said. The Madison entourage will leave April 16 and return April 20.

With 40 chess clubs from across the United States applying, the selection process was extremely competitive. Ultimately, 11 programs received grants funds from a committee including Jennifer Shahade, U.S. Chess Women’s Program Director:

“I was blown away by the quality of the applications,” Shahade said. “There are so many incredible organizers and affiliates across the country who are hungry to do more to bring girls and women into the game. The dollars donated will have a multiplying effect when accounting for the passion and drive behind the projects.”

“We have girls in MCCL who started playing chess in elementary school who are now in high school,” Bartlett said. “I can’t wait for them to feel empowered and experience a room full of girls from across the country competing on a national stage.”

Bartlett hopes that girls representing each school in Madison will compete in the Illinois event. “MCCL will be working with the chess team coaches and sponsors in each school to help prepare the girls for this national tournament,” she said.

Like other national tournaments, the All Girls Nationals offers both individual and team awards. The top three scores in any section comprise the team score. All girls from a team must attend the same school.

For more information, visit madisonchess.com or new.uschess.org.