Chess for Life, the partnership program between the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, is in need of volunteers to help bring chess to patients and their families. The program is designed to provide a welcome escape in a time of extreme duress. Chess for Life provides chess tables, boards and pieces, along with volunteers who will play and offer instruction. In addition, Siteman patients will be able to access a website allowing them to play with other people or a computer. “Our goal is to grow our Chess for Life outreach program throughout the U.S., and we are honored to have the program launch here at the Siteman Center,” Rich said. Chess for Life was inspired by Jim Corbett, a Siteman patient who was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. During his treatment, Corbett’s mood was lifted when he began playing chess. The Chess Club established Chess for Life as a tribute to Corbett who died last December. The program not only provides social interaction and a welcome distraction for patients and their families, but also seeks to elevate the game of chess throughout the Saint Louis community and promote scientific research into the positive effects of playing chess on a patient’s cognitive skill. Chess for Life is in need of volunteer chess mentors to coach and support patients and family members of patients as they develop their chess skills. To become a mentor, or for more information, please contact Siteman Cancer Center Volunteer Services at and click on the “How to Help” link, or call 1-800-594-0417.
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