Minor Threats Chess Club’s coach, Jason Bui, sent us an update on the latest achievements by his students, who recently returned from the Elementary National Championships in Nashville, Tenn. and also participated in other chess championships this spring. We wrote about the club and its fundraising efforts earlier this year. The Minor Threats Chess Club is based at Mitchell Elementary School and its members are West Philly schoolchildren in grades 3 through 8.

“It has been a loooong month for the Minor Threats Chess Club. We spent a total of 16 out of 32 days on the road from April to May. We had three very long bus rides. We had our bags lost in Ohio (don’t worry, we got them back). We broke down along the side of the turnpike on the way back from Louisville (everyone got home safe and sound). We had sick kids and parents. The kids never complained.

Syair was sick on Sunday in Nashville. He threw up before his first round. He went in and won and then came out and still couldn’t eat, took a nap, went in and won the last round of the day. He won his first Nationals trophy that weekend.

Derrick Moore, a 4th grader at Mitchell Elementary School, with a trophy. (Photo courtesy of Minor Threats Chess Club)

Junior High Nationals was Derrick’s first Nationals. He won his first individual trophy there.

The Philadelphia Chess Society (our super group consisting of Paul Robeson Chess Club, Minor Threats Chess Club, and Enon Connected Pawns) won 7 trophies at Elementary Nationals. Not bad for only having 13 kids playing.

These trips are amazing opportunities for our kids. They learn so much about the world, chess, and themselves. They get to see that there is a whole big world out there. They get to see that if they are brave and they are willing to work hard that nothing can hold them back.

I would not be able to take these kids on these trips without the support of people like you. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!“

The Minor Threats are posing with the 1st place trophy they received at the Masterminds Summer League. (Photo by Jason Bui)

West Philly’s Minor Threats school chess club, which West Philly Local featured last winter, participated in state and national championships last spring thanks, in part, to community support. The young chess players brought home several trophies, but more importantly lots of positive experiences. The club also participates year-round in local tournaments –  since the beginning of last school year the kids have practiced and competed in more than 30 tournaments.

This spring, Jason Bui, a teacher and the club director, would like to take his kids to three more prestigious tournaments, one state and two national championships, but it only would be possible with financial support from the community. Bui has set up an online fundraising page where everyone who wants to help the club can donate money. The page lists the tournaments The Minor Threats would love to go to and even breaks down the expenses. The club hopes to raise $20,000 so the kids are able to compete in these tournaments. Nearly $3,000 has already been raised.

To read more about the club, the tournaments and to donate, go to: http://www.gofundme.com/506jqo

The Minor Threats at the PA State Scholastic Chess Championships in March.

Members of the Minor Threats, a chess club comprised of 2nd-6th graders from four West Philly schools, have just returned from the SuperNationals that took place this past weekend in Nashville, Tenn., and have some good news: the team won two trophies! Mitchell Elementary finished 28th place in the team K-5 U900 division. A team member, Tahvon Hughes, finished 35th among individuals. There were 393 kids playing in the division.

The Philadelphia Chess Society returned from SuperNationals, a tournament that only happens once every four years, with a total of nine trophies and it’s great to know that the Minor Threats, the team that so many of our readers supported with financial contributions and words of encouragement, contributed to this success (read our first story about the club and its fundraising efforts here).

Jason Bui, the Minor Threats coach, has sent us an email thanking everyone who supported his club and the Philadelphia Chess Society:

“It was truly an awesome and adventurous experience for us. On behalf of all the participating PCS clubs, students, parents and guests, THANK YOU!”
 

The Minor Threats with their State Championship trophies.

About a month and a half ago we wrote about a local chess club, The Minor Threats, comprised of 2nd-6th graders from four schools in West and Southwest Philly. The kids and their coach, Jason Bui, have been facing the challenge of  raising $5,000 this spring to travel to and compete at the state and national chess championships.

The club was able to raise enough money to make it to the state championships in Carlisle, Penn., in March and did great there! The team picked up a total of seven trophies (three team trophies and four individual ones). More donations are needed for the team’s expenses at the SuperNationals in Nashville, Tenn., next month (about $2,500), but, luckily, a potential donor has offered to match all of the donations that go to the club’s GoFundMe project this week up to $1,000. This is a great opportunity to help the young players and make their dream of competing at the national level come true.

To donate, please follow this link: www.gofundme.com/Minor-Threats-Chess-Club

Members of the Minor Threats Chess Club.

The Minor Threats chess club whose members are West Philly schoolkids in grades 3 through 8, is preparing again this year for a series of important competitions. Coach Jason Bui is planning to take his pupils, about 15 kids, to the following events happening in the next few of months: PA State Scholastic Chess Championships in Lancaster, Pa., the High School National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, the Junior High National Championships in Louisville, and the Elementary National Championships in Nashville.

“These trips make a huge difference in these kids lives. They experience so many “firsts” in life through chess. They learn so much about themselves and the world though chess,” Jason says.

This year, Minor Threats will be partnering with the Paul Robeson Chess Club and probably a few other teams on these trips. “We hope to take about 30/40 kids to each tournament. I’m trying to take more kids to more tournaments than ever before,” Jason said. However, most of the families Jason works with can not afford the cost of attending these trips. “Without the help of the community we will not be able to go,” he said.

Thanks to community support, in 2013 Jason was able to take 10 kids to the State Championships and eight kids to SuperNationals in Nashville, TN. In 2014, 14 kids were able to travel to the State Championships, 10 kids went to Junior High Nationals in Atlanta, GA, and six kids went to Elementary Nationals in Dallas, TX.

If you would like to help these young chess players again, please follow this link to the club’s fundraising page on GoFundMe.com.

Several second through sixth graders from four West Philly schools are members at the Minor Threats chess club. The kids are trying to get to the State and National championships this spring. 

The Minor Threats is a chess club based at S. Weir Mitchell Elementary school at 55th and Kingsessing and consists of 2nd-6th graders from four different schools in West and Southwest Philly. Their coach and school teacher, Jason Bui, would like to take this talented and hardworking group of youngsters to two important upcoming competitions – the State Championships in Carlisle in March and Supernationals in Nashville, Tenn. in April. But traveling to and competing at these events require some funding which the club doesn’t have. So the Minor Threats are seeking community support. A total of $5,000 is needed to take the kids to both events.

Here’s what Jason wrote in an email:

“This has been an exciting year for the chess club. The kids have worked very hard. They have attended eleven tournaments around Philadelphia so far this school year. They have won 19 individual trophies, medals, and awards. They have won 3 team trophies. Now they want to prove themselves on the state and national level. They will not be able to do that without your help.

We need $1,300 to take 13 kids and 4 parents to the State Championships in Carlisle, Penna. for two nights in March. Most of the kids will compete in both the K-6 under 800 section on Saturday and the K-9 under 1,000 section on Sunday. Last year 105 of the best K-6 chess players in the state played in these two sections. I took four fairly inexperienced students there. We missed winning a team trophy by 1 point. This year the team is much more prepared. They have been practicing and studying for months.

We need $5,000 to take 9 kids and 4 adults to Supernationals V in Nashville, Tenn. for four nights in April. Every four years the elementary, middle school, and high school national chess championships are held at one location. This event is called Supernationals. The Minor Threats will compete against hundreds of the best K-6 chess players in the country. Based on their accomplishments at local tournaments they stand a good chance to bring home some trophies and glory for the team.

Your donation will make a huge impact on the lives of inner-city youth who are eager to achieve great things through chess. A $20 donation would pay for a hotel room for one child. A $50 donation would pay the Supernationals tournament entry fee for one child. A $100 donation would cover one child’s expenses for the State Championships. A $200 donation would pay for one child’s bus ride to Nashville. A $1,000 donation would cover one child’s expenses for the Supernationals.”

If you want to help the Minor Threats club, please send cash or a check made out to S. Weir Mitchell School with “Chess Team” written on the memo line. The school’s address is: 5500 Kingsessing Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143. Jason has also set up an online fundraising page. Please go here to donate.