By S. Siapha Mulbah
The National Youth Council of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) has taken the line of increasing sports development while by expressing interest in improving the playing of professional chess in Liberia.
The leaderships of both the YMCA Youth Council and the Liberia Chess Federation (LCF) recently joined an agreement to work together, spreading the capacity building mind developmental sports to other parts of the country through the signing of a memorandum of understanding.
During the closing ceremony of the just ended West African Chess Championship that took place in Liberia, Ebenezer Davis, the president of the YMCA youth council, disclosed that the board of his institution and its leadership has discovered the power and importance of building the mind of the young people through the display of the game of chess.
Davis asserted that over the years, the YMCA has been recognized throughout the country for their involvement in the development of basketball and other physical fitness sports that have helped the young people.
According to him, their history with basketball is what amazes them to think of joining the chess community to have a lasting impact on the building initiative of critical thinkers for the society, and chess will be played at the various youth facilities and operational schools of the Young Men Christian Association.
Addressing the terms of condition in the agreement signed by the two parties, Ebenezer Davis intimated that, with the level of engagement between the LCF and the YMCA that informed the Memorandum of Understanding, the game is going to be used as a basic tool to tackle some of the many challenges the young people are faced with, adding that it is the cardinal aim of the partnership.
“We at YMCA have been known for basketball and outreach activities. Now we want to focus on the development and expansion of Chess in Liberia to be able to limit and reduce the young people’s involvement in drugs and other narcotic consumption, among other things,” Davis noted.
The president of the Liberia Chess Federation, Thomas Karyah, signing on behalf of the chess governing body, lauded the YMCA for opening arms to promote the growth of the game.
Karyah called on others institutions to see the need in taking the good step of their partners to make sure there be a good support for people who want to make decisions for Liberia by sitting on the chess board and thinking critically.
