Chess Connection

As a high schooler, Caitlin Coslett '05 played for several years on the national championship chess teams at Philadelphia's Masterman School. When she came to Haverford, she indulged her love for the game by running the College's chess club. Then, in her senior year, the economics and math double-major had a big idea: Why not start an annual tournament for high-school students?

So, with the help of Professor of History Paul Jefferson, a fellow chess player, Coslett launched the Greater Philadelphia High School Chess Open in 2005.“We both loved the game of chess and wanted to work to support the growing scholastic chess community in Philadelphia,” says Coslett, who has returned to campus each Spring, even taking time out from her law school studies at New York University, to run the event.

This year's Chess Open will be held on March 20 at Haverford. The day-long tournament invites Philadelphia public school students to compete for prizes in both a rated and non-rated section. Players with more experience and a United States Chess Federation membership compete in the rated section of the tournament, but there is also a non-rated section for less experienced players.“We offer both because we don't want this event to be exclusive in any way,” says Coslett.“The whole point of it is to engage all the kids, encourage their love of chess and expose them to a college like Haverford.”

According to Coslett, the quality of the tournament has improved over the years, as the non-profit group Philly ASAP has organized more tournaments in the city and more opportunities to play.  For this year's Open, Coslett expects chess players to attend from various Philadelphia high schools, including Girls High, Central High, Olney, Northeast and George Washington."

The tournament receives support and funding from various sources at the College, including the Admissions Office, the President's Office, and the Multicultural Scholars Program. Marilou Allen and Eighth Dimension, Haverford's community service center, helps to organize the tournament, including booking space in Founders Hall, where the Open is usually held.

This year, the tournament's faculty sponsor is Jeff Tecosky-Feldman, who teaches in Haverford's math department, and is also coordinator of the Multicultural Scholars Program.“Now that Professor Paul Jefferson has retired, I am really excited that Professor Tecosky-Feldman has become the faculty sponsor for the chess tournament,” says Coslett.“He is going to recruit Haverford students to give the chess players tours of the campus and talk to them about the College.”

Coslett, who now works at the Philadelphia law firm of Berger & Montague, P.C., and is still a nationally ranked chess player, says she hopes the tournament will be an opportunity for some of the high school students who come to the event to see college, and Haverford in particular, as a realistic and appealing option.

“A few years ago, a high school senior I knew well enrolled in the army not because he wanted to but because he felt like it was his only choice,” says Coslett.“I think it's really important that these chess players, who are all really bright kids, be exposed to all kinds of post-high school options, especially colleges like Haverford.”

-Joy Heller '11