Founded by Hip-Hop author and scholar Adisa Banjoko, is the worlds first scholar to teach how music, chess and martial arts can promote unity, strategy and non-violence. This award winning speaker teaches youth of all backgrounds risk assessment, emotional mastery and how to apply what they see on the chessboard to real life decision making. Follow us @realhiphopchess on IG! You can also listen to Bishop Chronicles podcast on www.bishopchronicles.com iTunes, Spotify and Mixcloud.
HHCF Hosts Beginners Chess Tournament at Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula
Will Give Tix to Black Panther Movie tickets for the Winners!!
Hip-Hop Chess Federation Gives Movie Tix to see Black Panther Movie
East Palo Alto, CA- Feb. 6, 2018- The Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is proud to announce that it will be hosting a chess tournament for beginners only in East Palo Alto on February 20, 2018. The goal is to help teens get comfortable playing the game in a competition setting. The top 4 players will win tickets to see the movie Black Panther! Any participants cannot be rated competitive players. This is for teens new to the game.
It happens Tuesday Feb 20, at 6:30 PM at Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula located at 2031 Pulgas Ave, East Palo Alto, CA. “Our program teaches young people how to think under pressure” said Hip-Hop Chess Federation Founder Adisa Banjoko and author of Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess. We will give tickets to the top 4 players ”. Any youth or teen players who want to be eligible for the tickets MUST attend beginners classes Tues the 13th and Thurs 16th at BGCP. Teen classes are 6-7:30 PM and includes dinner. No previous experience in playing the game is needed. Only a willingness to learn! Sign up at BGCP, all the classes are free.
About HHCF: HHCF Chess and Life Strategies program has been featured in Forbes, NY Times, andKPIX TV. Adisa Banjoko is respected as a leader in education innovation after his lectures at Harvard,Oberlin, and U Conn. His work focuses on the power of fusing STEAM and STEM concepts to help kids and teens learn more effectively. In 2014 the impact of the HHCF was celebrated in the Living Like Kings record breaking exhibit at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, MO. Interested parents, teachers and teens should visit Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula to register.
For more on HHCF visitwww.hiphopchess.com today and follow them on Instagram @realhiphopchess.
OK, so my second day I go in and things get real intense, real fast. The kid with the tats who I played and tried to connect with came in tripping. One of the things about the hall is that things happen there that you don’t know about and cannot control. So even if you come in super positive the internal power struggles between the kids, staff and the kids within themselves can make things volotile.
He came in with another kid and though they were in my room there doing what I call “The ostrich thing.” That is when they pull their sweater over their head and put their head on their desk. I don’t tolerate that kinda activity.
I asked them to chill and show respect to the lesson and the time I’m sharing with them. Both sat back up. Later, he starts talking to his boy about street drama and his case. I remind him he needs to quiet up. He starts poppin’ off dropping n-bombs and stuff. I just calmly walked over to the door and had the JIO ‘s (like a CO for juve) come take him out. He was pretty negative on the way out, but the rest of the class was chill.
The rest of the DAY was chill to be honest. I must say though that the peanut butter colored walls and fluorescent lighting really messes with your sense of internal peace. We worked on how to use your rooks together and I showed them the famous Opera House Massacre game by Morphy and talked about the importance of consistence. “What is the queen sacrifice of your life? How seriously are you taking yourself, and your actions irrespective of who you think is ‘hating’ on you?”
They got it. The gaming that day was super positive and fun.
I had some great games with the kids who I played soft the day before. It was a nail biter from front to back.
Day 3
When came in the hall I had my first thoughts ready to go. The kids came in super positive. I told the JIO’s that I would not be taking the kid who was disrespectful from the day before. I opened by giving them some hard, straight talk to realign their collective purpose.
I wrote in huge letters on the whiteboard: INTELLIGENCE WITHOUT DISCIPLINE IS A CURSE!!!
I reminded them that I chose to be there. “ I struggled with drinking and I did a lot of stupid things in high school, but I never got caught” I told them. “ I dropped out, I had to teach myself the bulk of everything I’m doing today. But I need you to respect my time. If you are not interested in living better than you are, go back to your room.” I let the last sentence hang in the air to emphasize my seriousness.
“You know, between the games I hear you all talking about how the streets love you. How the block has your back. But when I come in the morning, I don’t see any of them in line to see you. Nobody is checking to kick it with you. Where all that hood love at?! I don’t see it” I spat defiantly. You should have seen their eyes. They were staring me down with a lot of raw emotion.
“We can’t have friends here. Only family!” one of the boys snapped back.
Before I could respond a JIO in the room with a voice like Barry White yelled out “So what?! Where y’all letters at? Ain’t nobody writing y’all. Keep it real! Nobody checkin’ for you.” Then he looked at me and nodded.
“The hood ain’t missing you. The block don’t miss you. The block don’t miss me. None of us are special and when we are gone, it keeps going on. My point of saying this is not to hurt your feelings. My point is to ask if that is a fact, why do some of you come into my class and waste my time and my knowledge and wisdom that I am trying to bring to you.?!” I was not yelling, but there was what Bruce Lee would call “emotional content”.
“For the rest of your life, it is unlikely that you gonna meet someone that knew Pac, knew The Jacka, knew Eazy and saw some of the greatest to ever do it- do their thing.” I was wearing a college sweatshirt. I pulled on the shirt at the shoulders and said “These colleges I speak at, I taught myself everything I speak on. I guest lecture there because of all the reading I did. All the hours I put in to get that knowledge. I bring it to you from a place of love because I know you don’t understand everything waiting for you outside.”
I paused to let that sink in.
“Most of you don’t even understand how you got here. I can tell you a little bit of how it happened. In 1967 the FBI rolled out to programs. One was called BLACKPRO and the other was called COINTELPRO. Both were aimed at undermiing Black leadership coast to coast. They had an army of 3,000 informants.”
Now before this keep in mind that J. Edgar Hoover, one of the early heads of the FBI was trying to get Black people to take heroin. But Blacks at the time did not like needles. This was back when most of your grandparents were young. In the 80’s White middle class and rich kids did cocaine powder- but Blacks did crack. Whites got short sentences for powder. Many Blacks and Latinos did life for crack.”
“Today, you kids are all taking syrup. Codeine, promethazine, percocet, etc. All of them are opiates- liquid heroin. You are living the dream that Hoover wanted for your grandparents.”
One of the kids interrupted me. “Stop talking about syrup so much. I want some right now.” a boy confessed without reservation. Despite being under 16 his favorite drink is percocets dissolved in Patron. So scary.
“Look” I continued “The closer you are to those drugs, the closer you are to making a mistake that will get you locked up. It is not an accident. Y’all are kids. Alcohol is illegal right? So how is it that billion dollar pharmaceutical companies are able to lose all this top grade syrup and it just happens to be available for cheap in your hood? How is it for sale by your homies at school. Because it is not an accident.”
I pointed to the a digital display of a chessboard. Right now, in the game of life, you are all in check. It is almost over for you. I hope you realize the seriousness of the times you are living in.” By now the room was pretty silent.
“What is the good thing about being in check though?” I asked the strongest Latino chess player.
“He nodded as he spoke to the class “There is still a way out.”
“EXACTLY!.I cried out. “ Exactly. There is still a way out. That is the blessing. I’m telling you now. Stay sober, study, play this game and find your way out. Let me do that for you. The game ain’t over. You can win this, but let me help you.”
From there we went into studying knights. The games were amazing. The one who admitted his addiction played the hardest and came a long way. Monday he did not know the how the pieces moved. Today he was losing, but he was checking people and growing with the game.
I lost a game to a kid after a foolish exchange. Tomorrow, I'm gonna go super hard. These kids are brilliant.
I took some photos of some of the games that got played. I cannot take pics of their faces. But you see the high cognitive function of the kids. A lot of these teens are considered ADD or ADHD. But look at the high level cognitive function happening. Kids this smart should be recruited by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Oracle. They don’t need to hire folks from Asia, India, Africa and China. They can go to NY, LA, Chicago and St. Louis and raise American minds to do this work. Fantastic American genius is being abandoned everyday simply because they were born Black, Brown or poor. Our technology companies need to take big steps to fix this.
I love these moments. I love these opportunities and I thank you for taking the time to read this blog.
PARENTS: Below is a huge song called “Mask Off” by Future that openly promotes the use of “molly” percocets and other opiates to our kids. This style is called Trap Music. The trap is, that if the kids soak in songs like these it leads them to the trap of addiction. I love Hip-Hop. But old school music always had a balanced dialogue. All the popular music on the radio and TV these days is sadly in this vein. Peep the beauty of the melody. IT is an amazingly well produced track. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Future was hired by Hoover.
Hip-Hop Chess Federation Unveils a Fusion of Chess and Jiu-Jitsu to Promote Peace on the Streets
HHCF Launches Chess & Jiu-Jitsu Class to Promote Fitness and Nonviolence
3/15/17 San Jose, CA-Hip-Hop Chess Federation 501(c)3 is proud to announce it has created a Chess & Jiu-Jitsu class for kids, teens and adults. The class is the brainchild of the HHCF’s Founder, Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko. Mr. Banjoko holds the rank of brown belt and is author of The Iron Hook Scroll (a book on submission holds) and the self improvement book Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess. The book illustrates how strategies from Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts can be used to build short and long term goal setting. It seamlessly connects concepts found in shows like The Get Down, Luke Cage and The Breaks to daily life. His lectures on this topic have brought his unique brand of wisdom to podiums at Harvard, Stanford, Oberlin College in U Conn among others. The Bishop was recently the recipient of The Legacy Award by Rock The School Bells for his consistent work in the field. The organization is an innovator in the space of STEAM and STEM.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Rap artists like Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, Public Enemy DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado, and even R&B artists like Usher have spent time learning the art. DJ Qbert even made a song about it on his last album. At the same time jiu-jitsu masters Rickson Gracie, Ryron Gracie, Carlos Machado and others have shown a consistent affinity for the game of chess. The HHCF however is the first organization to ever fuse both arts into one class.
“This class is built for average people to discover and actualize their extraordinary potential” stated The Bishop. “We show the overlapping mental and physical themes between chess and jiu-jitsu. It was something I envisioned when I started HHCF a decade back. I recently had a chess student I wanted to test my theories on. In less than four months we took him from ‘What is jiu-jitsu?’ to taking second at the US Open. Now what I taught him, I want to teach around the world in hope of promoting peace and nonviolence across the globe.”
The organization teaches that chess is jiu-jitsu for the mind and jiu-jitsu is chess for the body.”
Right now the HHCF Chess & Jiu-Jitsu class has a solid group of students (a mix of kids, teens and college age adults) taking the class and the growing interest shows no sign of slowing down. “People always say the Hip-Hop community never offers solutions to violence in the world. Our program proves them all wrong.”
If you have never heard The Dope Science Show, you are missing something extremely cool. A week or so back they were kind enough to interview HHCF's own Adisa Banjoko about all things related to Hip-Hop, chess, science, steam, stem and all things in between. We encourage you to check it out, follow them and enjoy a fun conversation. Shout out to Science Stuff with Steph for being a great host. Be sure to follow @thedopescience show on Twitter. Here is the link to THE DOPE SCIENCE SHOW!
If you love technology. If you love looking into the essence of cognitive function. If you love chess, come out to this amazing talk by Dr. David Timony.
13 Year Old Blind Chess Player Wins Technology Award for Phone App Idea
Chess and Entrepreneurship Student Wins Inspiring Youth Entrepreneur Award
for EyeMenu Phone App!
San Jose, CA 5/2/16- Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is proud to announce that their thirteen year old student Emmanuel Bard of San Jose, CA won the Inspiring Youth Entrepreneur Award for his phone app concept for EyeMenu. Emmanuel suffers from optic atrophy; the optic nerve in his brain is damaged and makes him legally blind. This prevents him from clearly reading menus at restaurants when he goes out to eat with his mother Emilie Bard. The HHCF is a 510c3 the first nonprofit to fuse chess, martial arts and music to promote unity, strategy and non-violence. Their unique fusion of art and has been featured in Forbes, Good Morning America, Black Enterprise and KPIX News.
EyeMenu was Emmanuel’s solution to the problem he faces in restaurants. Emmanuel’s EyeMenu App is a phone application that will allow him to see enlarged text of menu items and prices or read menu section and prices using the screen reading software that all phones provide. His idea has been covered in DeBug Magazine as well as the San Jose Tech Museum. Young Bard has been a participant in the HHCF Chess & Entrepreneurship classes for two months, but has been with the organization for four years. In their weekly classes his mentor, HHCF Founder and author Adisa Banjoko has been assisting Emmanuel on mapping out his app concept, functionality and marketing . “We recognized immediately that the EyeMenu idea was something the world needed. It is not meant to be an app with a ton of cool graphics. It is a utilitarian to help people navigate through their day with more ease. We know EyeMenu will change the world. ”
He presented his concept on stage with his mother at the Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Festival where several young entrepreneurs shared their ideas with the panel of judges. Emmanuel’s story moved the judges and the audience deeply. His mother, Emilie Bard stated “I’m very proud of Emmanuel for pushing forward with his concept. His mentor from HHCF was instrumental in helping him cultivate his idea and raise his confidence working on his pitch and telling his story. We look forward to the next stages of actualizing the app.”
If you would like to help Emmanuel complete his EyeMenu project you can donate today to his GoFundMe account. He is also building a team to help him manage the project at Ideator.com.
Emmanuel also participate with his brother in the Hip-Hop Chess Federations’ Chess & Jiu-Jitsu Program. In that class students learn chess and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu concepts in the same class. This fusion gives students a unique balance of physical and emotional control. When asked about how chess and business work together Emmanuel stated “When you have the mind of the entrepreneur you have the mind of playing chess. You have to use different strategies to win” he said with a smile.
The HHCF recently announced a new summer camp where kids can study chess and entrepreneurship, jiu-jitsu, dance and TV and Film. To learn more about the HHCF summer camp or donate to the Hip-Hop Chess Federation visit www.hiphopchess.com today!
Hip-Hop Chess Federation Launches Summer Camp on Chess and Entrepreneurship
Non-profit bridges gaps between music, business and technology
San Jose, CA 6/9/2014- The Hip-Hop Chess Federation(HHCF) is proud to announce that it will be hosting its annual Summer Camps. This summer the camps will be held at Ocalla Middle School starting June 16 and will run for 8 weeks . Camp programs include classes Chess, Entrepreneurship Camp, Hip-Hop Dance and Cheerleading.
It is well known the some of Silicon Valley and Hip-Hop have chess as a common theme in their life.
Thanks to the generosity of the City of San Jose Safe Summer Initiative Grant, the HHCF is able to drop the price of the camp from $295 a week to a low price of $99 a week. This grant will help some kids attend who might not have been able to otherwise. The HHCF works to ensure that learning the game of kings is not reserved for only the economic elite.
“Our chess camps stay full because they are more than just becoming a chess champion” stated HHCF Founder Adisa Banjoko. “Chess teaches kids how ideas followed with the right planning and action make you victorious. Our methods teach young people the connection between chess, life and education strategies. We are really excited about this years entrepreneurship camp where participants will develop skills to help them become the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. Throughout the camps we will bring in will bring in company founders and start-up Silicon Valley executives to host guest lectures on topics such as business strategies, chess and more”.
The camp for K-12th grade encourages local schools and community members to participate in this summer camps. The $99 fee provides each camper with materials for camp activities and for those registered by June 13, a free camp T-shirt.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Parents should contact Crystal Silva atcamps@hiphopchessfederation.org, if finances are a concern.
About Hip-Hop Chess Federation: The Hip-Hop Chess Federation is the first nonprofit 501(c)3 to fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. They host celebrity chess events and panels of life strategies for at-risk, gang impacted and gang intentional youth. Artists like RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, chess master Josh Waitzkin, actor Emilio Rivera, Immortal Technique, Asheru, Zion I, DJ Qbert, Dilated Peoples, Hieroglyphics and many others have participated in their events. Founder Adisa Banjoko has presented at Harvard University and World Chess Hall of Fame on how chess, martial arts and music promote peace in the streets. Visit their official website at www.hiphopchessfederation.org.
Top business chess players include Peter Thiel, Danille Rice, Seth Bannon
About a year or so ago I gave a short keynote speech to a group of 300 high school kids interested in entrepreneurship at San Jose City Hall. Since it came out, different people have asked me some of my thoughts on the connection between chess and business.
When teaching the HHCF Life Strategies program to teens I always highlight the fact that rappers like RZA, Jay Z, 50 Cent and Will Smith love the game of chess. I remind them that these guys are not consumed with chess mastery as much as using the game to master their emotions and stay focused on options. I teach them how concepts like “divide and conquer” and “win first, then seek battle” can apply to almost any team sport or business endeavor. Ideas from Sun Tzu and Machiavelli work on the chessboard as well as the boardroom.
The connection between chess and business is not new, but it’s also not very often explored deeply. Like many other aspects of the world chess touches it sits on the sidelines of the American consciousness.
In 2005 the Harvard Business Review interviewed chess icon Garry Kasparov about his thoughts on business and chess. Anatoly Karpov put out a great book a few years ago called Chess and the Art of Negotiation. It’s a great look at how the psychology of combat plays a role in business decision making. The main thing to consider here is that one not need be a Grandmaster or Master to understand and use these ideas for your own business. You only need to play consistently and pay attention to the reasons behind your losses and victories.
Here are some thoughts I had about how chess and business are alike, specifically to the chess pieces on the board.
This set is designed by Studio Anne Carlton Chess follow them on Twitter @SACchess
King=CEO:
Creates the vision for the entire company. This is where the core ideas, values and purpose arise. Kings have the lion's share of the ideas and inspiration but very little of the ability to actualise everything in its totality. This is the person who essentially creates the brand. But brand building is the root of so much else that needs to be actualized. This is why the other pieces on his team are so important. Without a king there is nothing to fight for, he is priceless.
Queen= Investors/Board of Directors:
The queen is the defender of the Kings vision. and economic model for maximum profit. They survey all the terrain ahead and map out the grand strategy for actualizing the kings vision. A king without a queen is always doomed. A CEO without his board and investors support and resources is also doomed.
Bishops = Business Development
These are the people who understand and live the brand's philosophy and use angles of differentiation and positioning to gain advantages for the company. They are the key evangelists for the brand. They know their lane and stay strong in it.
Knights = Outside Sales
These guys jump directly into the fog of war to go head up with the competition, and do battle in the name of their king. You have to respect them because of their fearless devotion to the brand's mission. Their work in the field makes them indispensable as a resource for information for Bishops and queens. They move in unorthodox ways at times, but always work well with Bishops and Knights.
Rooks= Inside sales.
These guys take the vision of the product directly to other industry leaders. Its their job to look forward and hit people straight up with the value of the company. Philosophically, the rook also symbolizes those of in depth knowledge of the product and purpose of the company.
Pawns= The daily workers that make the entire operation happen:
This word pawn often gets overused to represent the simple underling. This is a huge mistake. Pawns outnumber every other piece on the board. Their unity spells disaster for the opposing team. They are usually the first to hit the battlefield and sacrifice themselves for the sake of the king. Those that survive and cross to the other side can gain the power of the queen.Their ability to work together is the root of victory for the kings empire.
Now enjoy your day, and go have a good game with a few friends!!
Adisa Banjoko is the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation 501(c)3. Learn more by following the official HHCF Instagram @realhiphopchess
