History and Board

Castle Chess Camp is a nationally renowned program bringing together top instructors and talented youth for a sleepover chess camp.

The original Castle Chess Camp was started by Dr. Robert Ferguson in 1977 in Bradford, Pennsylvania. That camp ran for 29 years.

In 2001, David Woolf started a second chapter of Castle Chess at Emory University in Atlanta, using the same proven formula as the original Castle Chess Camp. Assisted by his daughter Katie, David ran the Atlanta camp for seven years before stepping aside.

In 2008, the late Marshall Jaffe established Castle Chess, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with help from volunteers including Jennifer Christianson, Fun Fong, Scott Parker, Mark Taylor, and Debbie Torrance.

From 2009 – 2020, Jennifer Christianson served as Castle Chess President and Camp Director until stepping aside during the pandemic.

Since 2020, Ricardo Fiorillo has served as Castle Chess President and Camp Director.

The most senior member of the Castle Chess Board is Scott Parker, who has been involved with running Castle Chess since the Atlanta camp’s inception in 2001.

Over 1100 unique campers from 40 states and 10 countries have attended Castle Chess. Campers have gone on to become Grandmasters and International Masters.

Over 60 titled instructors, including 21 Grandmasters, have taught at Castle Chess.

CASTLE CHESS BOARD OF DIRECTORS