History

In The Beginning ...

Freedom Chess Academy was founded in 2000 by Dr. Rose Marie Stutts in answer to the need for a formal chess program in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It began as a weekly meeting on the front porch of her home. In keeping with her Benedictine spirituality and based upon her work and observations from volunteer work with the disadvantaged in Tuscaloosa, Freedom Chess Academy (FCA) was based on several tenets:

 

Dr. Stutts believes that God gives every person a talent and that her talent is that she is a teacher. She is also a teacher with a dream for the future of chess in schools for all the students of Alabama.

It wasn't long before Freedom Chess Academy outgrew the front porch of Dr. Stutts’ home and moved to the Benjamin Barnes YMCA, thence to several schools and the Tuscaloosa Public Library. By the middle of the decade, FCA was supplementing chess classes with occasional rated and unrated chess tournaments.

What We've Been Doing Lately...

In 2007 FCA became a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, and became an affiliate of both the United States Chess Federation and the Alabama Chess Federation. It also established its initial Internet presence.

In 2008 FCA licensed a formal chess curriculum to standardize and improve the consistency of its teaching methods.  A summer chess camp was organized and held.

In 2009, seeking ways to expand its impact and reach more students, FCA partnered with The University of Alabama to draw college students into its service mission. [See Partnerships.] Dr. Stutts retired from her full-time job at The University of Alabama but continued to teach as an adjunct at The University of Alabama.

In 2010 FCA continued to grow in the number of students it serves. The University of Alabama's "Every Move Counts" initiative grew dramatically in the fall semester involving more college-student chess instructors and reaching more elementary and middle school students. This new website became operational. We organized and hosted the biggest pair of chess events in Alabama in recent history: the 2010 Alabama State Chess Championship and the Alabama State Scholastic Tournament; together the events drew 140 players. We've augmented our in-class teaching with Internet-based options that offer out-of-class tactical study for students ranging from advanced beginners to advanced students, and in-depth strategy and opening study for advanced students. In December we held our first interschool chess event in which 60 students competed.

In 2011 inter-school tournaments expanded along with Tuscaloosa educators' enthusiasm for the benefits of chess. The Holy Spirit School Chess Club joined the Interscholastic competition. In the fall, Tuscaloosa Magnet School expands it's chess program as our UA partner's Every Move Counts will bring up to 30 student chess instructors aboard to support teaching chess within schools.  Freedom Chess Academy will augment these efforts by offering advanced lessons taught by experienced chess instructors to students who want to take their skills to the next level and be able to compete against top competition in other cities.  Our goal is to prepare a team (or teams) to represent Tuscaloosa in the Alabama State Scholastic Championship in April, 2012.  Two chess instructors obtained US Chess Federation level-2 District Chess Coach certification.  We will also continue to bring chess classes to Oak Hill School.  This includes developing lesson plans which integrate elements of core educational instruction in topics such as math.

Our organization owes much to the corporate and private sponsors who have supported us financially over the years. We are also indebted to the many volunteers who have helped us. These include past board members, volunteer chess instructors, public office holders, TV show hosts, and the many parents who have pitched in to help when needed. Finally we have our students to thank, a number of whom have come back years after taking classes to help a new generation of youngsters realize the benefits of playing chess.

Freedom Chess Academy continues to grow its capabilities and outreach. Gradually Dr. Stutt's dream is becoming a reality.