CHECK MATES
Strategic connections, one move at a time.
The Challenge
In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic: Isolation rivals the effects of smoking 15 cigarettes per day and increases heart disease and stroke risks by 29% and 32%, respectively.¹ While those 50- to 80-years old commonly admit feeling socially isolated,² loneliness also affects young people: Sixty-one percent of those 13 to 24 say it takes some toll on their mental health.³
The Solution
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Check Mates creates multigenerational bonds to strengthen communities through chess. By bringing younger and older players together in friendly matches that encourage learning, Check Mates develops connections that fight the loneliness epidemic.
Especially during times of instability and in the setting of accelerating technology, divisions among people are hastened, making Check Mates especially relevant today.
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Check Mates was founded by Micah Presser at age 13 as his bar mitzvah project. Read his story.
Check Mates events are taking place all around the country:
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Venice · Redondo Beach · Torrance · Palos Verdes Estates · Rancho Palos Verdes · Rolling Hills Estates · San Marino
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
San Jose
NORTHEAST
Port Washington, NY · Teaneck, NJ · Cheshire, CT
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Dunwoody, GA · Maitland, FL · Morrison, CO · Kalamazoo, MI
Los Angeles County Detail Map
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut Detail Map
Sources
1. U.S. Surgeon General. Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023.
2. University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Trends in Loneliness Among Older Adults from 2018–2023. March 2023.
3. Hopelab and Data for Progress. National survey of young people ages 13–24, September 2025, as reported by Axios.