PS 503 chess team goes into summer as champions
The chess club at PS 503 was founded only two years ago, but already the members are proving that they have what it takes to be champions. The club, called the Chessmates, won the Mayor’s Cup, a citywide competition for chess-loving students, in May and spent the remainder of the term basking in the glow of congratulations from students and teachers at the Sunset Park school.
Now that summer vacation is underway, the glow of victory is likely to continue to burn brightly, their coach said.
“It was an amazing achievement. We’re so proud of them. They felt great being honored by the PTA and by the councilwoman,” teacher-coach Carlos Grapuera told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
“Very few of our kids have any type of chess background,” he said. Many of the students joined the fledgling club, learned how to play chess, and then quickly excelled at the game. “The kids love it. They look to play chess during their lunch period and whenever they have some free time,” the coach said.