Petit Trou’s Chess League is Making Moves!

Petit Trou’s Locally Haiti-supported youth chess league is underway and growing quickly! 

In February 2025, ASFPN – a community-based organization working in agriculture, community health, and Girls’ Empowerment and Mentoring (GEM) and a close partner with Locally Haiti – began introducing chess to Petit Trou students, most of whom had no prior experience with the game. 

The program launched under the direction of ASFPN staff members and Locally Haiti team members, including Joseph Alvyns, Davidson Turenne, Elmina Israel, and Nadine Veillard. Joseph, Locally Haiti’s Special Projects Coordinator, is an experienced chess player and worked with the rest of the chess teachers intensively via a train the trainer model. (Learn more about Joseph, who now lives in Petit Trou, here.)

Participating students were placed into groups of 10 and introduced to the game through weekly guided sessions. Leaders emphasized the mental and educational benefits of the game; learning that chess isn’t just about the moves, but also about building critical thinking, practicing patience, and improving focus and concentration skills. Students have access to chess boards to practice outside of the group experience. 

To deepen their understanding and inspire real-world application, students recently gathered to watch Queen of Katwe, an inspiring true story that depicts a young girl’s journey of overcoming poverty and social challenges to achieve success in chess, integrating themes of empathy, integrity, perseverance, and teamwork. 

Over the past six months the players have quickly developed a passion for the game and an increasing desire to continue improving and participate in more competitions. To meet that desire, ASFPN and Locally Haiti decided to host a chess tournament. *Stay tuned for highlights from the weeklong tournament in a forthcoming blog.