The world of chess can often be an exclusionary place for people of color and female players, but Mazi Mutafa, executive director of Words Beats & Life (WBL) wants to change that – one tournament at a time.
WBL, a national hip-hop arts education nonprofit, will present its seventh annual Bum Rush the Boards Chess Tournament on April 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Columbia Heights Recreation Center in Northwest Washington, D.C.
“Words Beats & Life created this one-day hip-hop chess tournament in 2005 to promote strategic thought and actions within the hip-hop and chess communities,” says Mutafa, who has seen the tournament attract chess clubs and players from across the nation.
The award-winning, D.C.-based nonprofit also realized the exclusion taking place within the broader chess community.