Chess tournament pairs students, cops in a safe space that lets kids ‘flex their intellectual muscles’

Dozens of kids showed off their chess chops Tuesday at a tournament that pairs Chicago Public School students with Chicago police officers.

The Cops & Kids Invitational Chess Tournament brought out about 120 students from 10 public schools to Guaranteed Rate Field.

“The goal here is to create safe environments for our kids where they can prosper,” said Glen Brooks, director of community policing at CPD.

The program also aims to break down barriers between the kids and law enforcement and “gives them an opportunity to flex their intellectual muscles,” Brooks said.

The opening tournament Tuesday will be followed by a closing tournament later in the school year, Brooks said. Each child gets a small gift for participating, he said.

The Cops & Kids Chess Initiative was created seven years ago with Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation, Brooks said.

Outside of the tournament, about 600 CPS students participate in weekly after-school chess programs with officers across the city at about 30 schools, Brooks said.

“A lot of times we think of police as law enforcement, but our end goal is to create a safer community,” he said.

The chess program is one of several after-school programs that pairs officers with children. There’s also baseball, basketball, mentoring, hip-hop dance classes and contests, Brooks said.

“We know by spending time with kids, outside of a law enforcement function, we’re creating those safe spaces and diminishing those opportunities for something to go awry,” he said.