My name is Benjamin Nallengara. I am a high school student in New York City. I started Knights of the Square Table in 2020 when the world shut down. 

As the pandemic dragged on, I quickly saw how difficult this time was for my grandparents. They were isolated and alone. I set up regular video calls with them. I also started playing online chess matches with my grandfather. Chess has always been a game that connected our family. I played competitive chess along with my brother when we were younger, and playing chess was a way we would spend time with our grandparents. We used it to bridge the generational gap. There was almost as much storytelling as there was chess when we played with them. I saw during the pandemic how chess can be used to stay connected to our older family members, and I realized that chess could be a way to help other seniors who were isolated and lonely.

That is why I founded Knights of the Square Table.

Since 2020, from humble beginnings of live video instruction streamed into a single senior center in the depths of the pandemic, Knights of the Square Table has grown into a program with a structured curriculum used to teach beginner chess to senior citizens at community centers across New York City, with more advanced instruction and tournament game play. Today, Knights of the Square Table works with more than 20 volunteer chess players, all of whom are student chess players, to provide instruction and companionship to senior citizens at 11 community centers in New York City.

The name, Knights of the Square Table, was selected to honor one of my grandfathers who passed away. He would open every chess match in an unconventional way, by moving his knight. Knights of the Square Table is my effort to try something unconventional to connect generations and build communities.  

If you are interested in bringing our program to your senior center please contact us.