Fight Alongside The PS 139 Chess Ninjas–Send The Girls To Nationals!

Want to support our local team of chess prodigies? The girls of PS 139‘s Chess Ninjas (a team that did an incredible job at this past weekend’s New York State Scholastic Championships in Saratoga Springs) are hoping to make it to the all-girls national competition in Chicago next month for only the second time since the school’s chess program was started over a decade ago, and they need your help! Says the girls’ Givver campaign:

Rochelle Ballantyne, one of the original members of the Chess Ninjas, has gone as far as to win numerous national championships, lead her team at P.S. 139 and middle school power house I.S. 318 to copious team championships and continue on to receive a full academic scholarship to Stanford University.

To think it all started with chess, this is because chess teaches discipline, patience and respect but also helps develop analytical, synthetic and decision-making skills, which they can transfer to real life. With these kids, chess has allowed them to thrive and attend the top junior high and high schools in the city.

We’re always proud of the Ninjas, and helping get our girls to this competition could go a long way towards their empowerment and ownership of the historically male-dominated sport from a young age. If you’d like to contribute to the campaign, you may do so here–and if you’d like to learn more about the history of the team as well as Rochelle’s journey, check out our profile on longtime Ninjas coach, neighbor Ian West.

Photo via PS 139 Chess Ninjas