PLEASANTON, Calif. (KRON) – The Tri-Valley Chess League (TVLC) is a student-run organization that provides free services to their community. The league run by high school students hosted a free week-long chess camp in early June with over 100 local participants.
The Tri-Valley Chess League was founded by Foothill High School juniors Jessup Byun and Monish Muralicharan. The pair share a passion for chess and want to share it with the young members of their community.
“I saw the Tri-Valley Chess League as a way to bring people in my community together. Acknowledging that our members come from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds, I founded the Tri-Valley Chess League on the basis that every service, tournament, and camp would be free to the community,” Byun told KRON4 news
The TVCL has branches in six Bay Area schools: Foothill High School, Amador Valley High School, Quarry Lane School, Dougherty Valley High School, and Monta Vista High School.
Each school has a set of officers with a president, vice president, treasurer and representatives. The league is run by high school students including Byun, Muralicharan, a tournament organizer, and a director of marketing.
Tri-Valley Chess League hosted its first free chess camp for kids ages 5-16. The students came from 42 schools across the Bay Area. Funding for the event was made possible through donations and group fundraising.
Co-founder Muralicharan told KRON4, “TVCL is important for all the members involved not only because they get to play chess, but also because they get to socialize with hundreds of people. The stereotype for chess players is that they’re anti-social, however, the TVCL works to break that stereotype.”
The TVCL plans to host weekly chess classes and regular tournaments. Muralichan said the TVCL plans to “expand to more high schools in the Tri-Valley area and encompass as many students as possible. Similar to our chess camp for students of all ages, we would like to expand our services to middle and elementary schoolers.”
