Nearly two years ago, the US Chess Federation revoked the affiliate status of the DC State Chess Federation, despite what students and community members have described as the organization’s decades-long record of service to District youth of color. Student-athlete Andrea Nicholson, a tennis player and founder of DC Rising Pawns, is a decade-long student of the DC State Chess Federation. Earlier this summer, DC Rising Pawns hosted the DC Women and Girls Health & Wellness Chess Fair at Bryant Street Market in Northeast. Andrea co-sponsored the event with: DC State Chess Federation; HoodSmart: The Urban STEMulus Project; The Agency at National Harbor Financial Services; Ateya Productions; Kettler Management; and Community Grapevines. “Most people don’t know that the organization that has controlled chess in D.C. for over 80 years has kept chess out of D.C.,” Bennett told The Informer.