Kaleb Lancman, who has been playing chess his whole life, says he has "always wanted to be a chess teacher and teach kids in some way."

Kaleb's first move was to start an after-school chess club for migrant students with his twin brother, Kyle Lancman. The Stuyvesant High School sophomores are originally from Argentina. Together, they thought this was one small way to make new students feel more at home, all while teaching a game they love.

“At first I thought it might be cool to teach kids in Spanish who didn’t have the opportunity, but then one day I remember reading an article about this immigrant crisis that was going on, and I remember thinking, 'Oh wow. Maybe I can make a real change here,’” Kaleb recalled.

What You Need To Know

  • Kyle and Kaleb Lancman have been playing chess their entire lives. They've always wanted to start a club that teaches chess to people who speak Spanish, a demographic that usually doesn't participate in the game. The migrant crisis presented an opportunity to start

  • From two students to 20, the group has grown into quite the little after-school community center in Hell's Kitchen 

  • Kyle and Kaleb are proud that their students, who had never touched a chess piece before only a few months ago, are now headed to the New York State Scholastic Championships

“I just know that these kids have gone through a lot, and I just want to help them to assimilate and get a sense of community,” Kyle added. 

With the help of their longtime chess coach, the twins set up a GoFundMe, raising enough money to rent a permanent space in Hell’s Kitchen. Now, Monday through Thursday, you can hear the universal shouts of "Check!" from jubilant kids.

“It has just become a community center that started with two children," Lorna Myers said. As Kyle and Kaleb's mom, she couldn't be more proud of everything the boys have accomplished

"It’s wonderful to see how the children have taken to chess," Myers said. "How they seem to be thriving. It’s sort of amazing how resilient the children are.”

Through word of mouth, the group has grown exponentially, from just two members to 20.  As the kids learn chess, their parents are given an opportunity to learn English. 

“That’s why I felt like it was so necessary to give back, because these kids remind me of myself when I was younger, and they really just deserve the opportunity to succeed,” Kaleb said.

For being the grandmasters of giving back, Kyle and Kaleb Lancman are our New Yorkers of the Week.