CSGA History

DSCN0521We originally started as a group of instructors, facilitators, and coaches that wanted to promote chess and other board games as a way to have fun, engage in mental challenges, and get to know other players. We also wanted to provide our young players opportunities to play students of chess and other strategy games beyond their own clubs. Officially incorporated in 2014 as a non-profit organization, the Chess & Strategy Game Association formed to create an institution that promotes and facilitates chess and strategy game instruction, tournaments, open play, and training for youth and instructors in the Northeast Metro Area. We do this by hosting tournaments, open gaming events, workshops, and board game festivals in our local area. We also facilitate collaboration between coaches, parents, and players that see the educational and developmental benefits of these mental activities. It’s also a lot of fun!

Upcoming Events

Events Calendar

Contact Us

Chess & Strategy Game Association Board of Directors

Give us a call today to learn more about our upcoming events!

Bill Nara
651.208.8762
bill.nara@csga-enrichment.org

Rich Weber
651.307.2851
richardmweber@comcast.net

Jeff Hahn
jeff.w.hahn@outlook.com

Julie Miller
djjamiller@me.com

Our Mission

We exist to provide opportunities for young players to get together to learn new games, strategies, and tactics at open events and competitions. We also promote a growing community of chess and strategy game players that value learning, teaching, and fun through playing games that foster creativity, analysis, socialization, fair play, mental challenges, and connectedness.

Our Story

The Chess & Strategy Game Association, CSGA Enrichment, was founded in 2014 by Executive Director Bill Nara, a former high school teacher, who saw a great need for before and after school programs and summer programming for students in K-12.

As a youth, Bill participated in programs based on his personal interests and found these programs were no longer offered to students. He began CSGA programming with chess and strategy games with 5 students in one school district.  As the program grew, CSGA brought on Associate Executive Director Jason Lavine, and expanded CSGA into more school districts.

It became apparent that additional programs beyond chess and strategy games were needed to meet the needs and interests of students. STEM programs including coding, 3D printing, robotics, and rocket building, and cultural and arts classes including cooking, young writers workshop, rock band, and Improv, and specific interest programs such as crafting, knitting, and fishing were added. 

More recently, online program options have been introduced for chess players and students interested in personal finance and the stock market. CSGA wants students engaged in self motivated activities that could lead to entrepreneurship. CSGA is currently operating in over 11 school districts reaching over 1,200 students.