Decatur, GA — Orrin Hudson, founder and CEO of DeKalb-based Be Someone, Inc. is offering chess and leadership lessons virtually to children and seniors alike through the months of April and May.

Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson says chess offers the perfect time for intellectual exercise. He also uses the class to teach children messages such as  “Pants Up, Heads Up, Grades Up, Never Give Up,” and “Make Every Move Your Best Move by Thinking Ahead.” Hudson describes himself as having been “a troubled inner-city youth walking a path of personal destruction” until a teacher introduced him to the game of chess and “the life lessons found on and through the board.”

The chess and leadership lessons for children will take place on Zoom, every Saturday starting April 24 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., for children ages eight to 18. The lessons will culminate with a chess tournament on May 15. To register, visit http://dekalboys.org/chess-class/.

For senior citizens, Hudson says learning and playing chess is a “quest for peace and hope.”  He says the program he has developed for seniors includes “the understanding of how chess leads to a feeling of personal peace.”

Chess lessons for seniors began on Zoom on April 20, and the 50-minute sessions will continue every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m., ending in a chess tournament on May 27.

“Participants will not only learn about the game and how to play, but they will understand and enjoy the subtleties of chess,” says Hudson. Spending sufficient time practicing is important, so he will be encouraging class members to practice in between the Zoom sessions.

To register for the class for seniors which is being made possible by DeKalb County Lou Walker Senior Center, visit the Zoom link here.