EMPIRE STATE OF CHESS - Documentary on Chess in NYC During COVID

The game of chess has been bringing New Yorkers together for years in parks, squares, cozy clubs and tournament halls. But how can this beloved pastime survive amid a pandemic? Meet the city’s most interesting pawn pushers, grandmasters, club owners and street players who keep the hope, and the game, alive.
This past year, as a The New School Documentary Studies student, I was given the opportunity to make a short documentary on any topic in New York City. After The Queen's Gambit was released on Netflix last Fall, my brother and I started researching #chess in New York City.
#EmpireStateOfChess is a film about chess in New York at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chess is one of the oldest and most popular activities in NYC, and has brought New Yorkers together for years. This film explores how the NYC chess community adapted to the imposed restrictions from the ongoing health crisis.
For months, I filmed with many of NYC’s most influential chess players and advocates including @carl_neblett, Union Square’s most famous and dedicated chess player; Irina Krush, the only active female American Grandmaster (@irina.krush); Shawn Martinez, National Master and one of the best chess coaches in the country (@pushingpawnsnyc); and Imad Khachan, owner of the @chessforum, the last old style New York chess store and game parlor still open to the public. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey to film this documentary and I’m beyond thankful to have met these people along the way.
The film, completed in June 2021, won the National Board of Review (@NBR) Student Grant and was screened at Doc NYC, NYC Film Week as well as other festivals in the U.S.
Enjoy!
Sy.