I watched an uplifting film called Brooklyn Castles last night. It’s a documentary about a middle school in Brooklyn that has built a chess program that leads them to a dynasty of national titles year after year. Residing in a low-income area, the students’ achievements are immensely inspiring as the film follows a handful of young individuals that are ranked amongst the best chess players in the world.
I was intrigued by the concept of this film from many different vantage points. I am an avid chess player, but I don’t play nearly enough as I should. My wife is a teacher with somewhat similar of circumstances at her school. Finally, I like to give my time and resources to communities that need it.
The storyline in the movie grows dramatic when the economic collapse depletes the school’s funding – threatening their chances to even travel to the chess tournaments.
Here’s the trailer for the film:
Additionally, there is now a crowdfunding donor page that allows people like you and I to easily help out the chess program while their program is still struggling financially. The donation page can be found here.
The completely documentary is now streaming on Netflix. I urge you to watch it if you have the time to do so.