Aaron Thompson is the Director of Outreach for Chess in Slums, a volunteer-driven non-profit started by Tunde Onakoya to enrich the lives of children in Nigeria who face economic adversity. He spent several years as a tournament director in the United States, but is working with Chess in Slums to promote their initiatives and to attract their sponsors. I was introduced to their work a few months ago on Twitter and hope I can do my part in sharing their stories and goals as they continue to grow as an initiative. I am delighted to share this episode with you today!

Episode highlights:

• The role of chess in enriching the lives of children, generally

• The importance of Chess in Slums being an initiative for Nigerians, by Nigerians

• Transitioning from tournament director to an outreach director

• Current and future goals of Chess in Slums

• The story of Ferdinand the chess prodigy (must listen)

• Changing perceptions of poverty with Chess in Slums

• How to help Chess in Slums as a listener

• Future expansions (Palestine, Burkina Faso, more)

• The impact of COVID-19 on the Chess in Slums mission

• A minor earthquake joins the show??

• Aaron's philosophy as a chess player and finding his role in the international chess community

• I talk a bit about why I love podcasting about chess :-)

64: A Chess Podcast is sponsored by Aimchess. Use code "DAVID30" to get 30% off of your first month with Aimchess.

Thanks to Aaron Thompson for coming onto the show. You can follow him on Twitter: @aar_thom

Please follow @Tunde_OD and @chessinslums on Twitter!

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @64Podcast

Follow David Vizgan (the host) on Twitter: @davidvizgan