Cook County Sheriff Hosts international Prisoner Chess Tournament

CHICAGO — Chess players imprisoned on four continents competed in a historic tournament this week hosted by the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Detainees at Cook County Jail faced off online against opponents in six other countries in the country's first ever international chess tournament.

Russia was declared the winner of the competition, earning 22.5 wins over the course of 28 matches in the round-robin tournament. Belarus and Italy tied for second place and Armenia finished fourth. The United States team, comprised of 14 players from Cook County Jail, finished fifth — ahead of the Brazilian and English teams, according to the sheriff's office.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart thanked officials from detention facilities at all participating countries during an event ceremony Tuesday via video conference.

"Chess instills important skills, from patience to strategic thinking, that help individuals better navigate custody and re-entry to society," Dart said.

Anatoly Karpov, a Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion, helped organize the competition. He addressed the competitors in a video message to the tournament.

"I would like to thank you, our American friends, for their effort and work in organizing such great competition," said Karpov, who was a catalyst for establishing the chess program at Cook County Jail seven years ago. It now includes more than 100 players, according to the sheriff's office.

The jail's program is currently run by Mikhail Korenman, a native of Russia, where a recent national prison chess tournament in Russia attracted 21,000 participants, he told the Chicago Sun-Times. The Chicago Tribune reported the competition was officially sanctioned by the world chess federation, the FIDE, and played using Chess.com with a 15-minute time limit. Studies have shown prisoners who play chess are less likely to return to prison, according to the sheriff's office.