Chess in the Library

Chess in The Library (CITL) is a grassroots non-profit organization, driven and organized by passionate youth from across Canada. Founded 10 years ago by World International Master Yuanling Yuan, Chess in The Library is geared towards promoting chess to people of all ages and skill levels through free chess programs held in the nurturing environments of libraries. Last year, Toronto Public Libraries (one of our key sponsors) changed its internal policies regarding volunteer programs. As a student-run non-profit group, we were unable to meet their demands and new requirements. Since our organization is based in Toronto, the termination of our partnership meant that we lost the majority of our branches and volunteers. Furthermore, Toronto Public Library used to provide us with space where we could host our annual tournaments, such as library auditoriums. Hence this year, we experienced immense difficulties in trying to find an affordable location for our tournament, which was and always will be free to the public.

Despite this setback, we are even more motivated than before to persist in our mission to provide a free and accessible environment for everyone to play. Under the leadership of the new Executive Team of 2017-2018, Chess in the Library has shepherded expansion into the neighboring district of Vaughan and recruited enough volunteers to open two new branches. Our next aim is to organize a city-wide tournament once again this March, and we are hoping to raise enough money to fund for space with a capacity of around 150 people (our usual participant count). We will be extremely grateful for any support that you could offer.