Chess for Life is a wonderful example of what can happen when education, research and community engagement come together around a simple but powerful idea.

Many of you will know that Chess for Life has been expanding its presence in elementary and secondary schools throughout Lethbridge. What began at the University of Lethbridge as an innovative restorative-justice initiative has grown into a program with the potential to make a lasting difference in the lives of young people across our community.

Chess is much more than a game. It provides young people with a safe, structured space in which to practise skills that matter far beyond the chessboard: inhibitory control — learning to look before we leap; working memory — holding information in mind as we work through a problem; and cognitive flexibility — considering alternatives when circumstances change. Chess also encourages planning, self-regulation, patience and thoughtful decision-making.

These capacities have always mattered. In a world increasingly shaped by screens, constant digital stimulation and rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, they may matter more than ever. Young people need opportunities not simply to access information, but to concentrate, reason, anticipate consequences, adapt their thinking and make sound decisions. Chess for Life creates an engaging environment in which they can develop precisely these habits of mind.

There is also something deeply fitting about this work emerging from a Faculty of Education. Education at its best reaches beyond classrooms and curricula. It helps people develop the intellectual, social and personal capacities they need to navigate their lives, contribute to their communities and imagine different possibilities for themselves.

Led by retired Faculty of Education professor Dr. Lance Grigg and championed by University of Lethbridge Chancellor Terry Whitehead (BA ’94), Chess for Life reflects that broader educational purpose. From its beginnings working with youth involved in the justice system to its expanding presence in schools and community settings, the program demonstrates how thoughtful educational initiatives can create connection, belonging and opportunity.

Our support for Chess for Life is unwavering. I am proud of its roots in the Faculty of Education and grateful to everyone who has helped it grow — educators, volunteers, community partners, donors and, above all, the young people who sit down at the board and discover what is possible.

Every move in chess asks us to pause, think ahead and recognize that the choices we make matter. Those are lessons for the chessboard, certainly, but they are also lessons for life.

I can think of few endeavours more worthy of our support.