Matheu Jefferson is an alumnus of the College Bound Program. He started his journey with Chess in the Schools at his Elementary School, PS. 70X. He would continue to play throughout middle school and eventually form the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics Chess Team. Matheu is currently a science teacher at his former high school and now manages the BCSM Chess Team. 

Marilyn Lucero

How did you start playing chess?

Matheu Jefferson

My brother, Christian, learned how to play chess before me at PS. 70X. He needed someone to play with, and that’s why he taught me. I think it’s impressive that he was able to teach me while only being a second grader himself. 

ML

What was different about playing chess compared to now?

MJ

Well, the pandemic affected online chess. There are certain places that you go to, and they prioritize online chess over traditional chess. For example, I’ll play chess in a park and they’ll ask me what’s my Chess.com rating. I understand what they mean, but there’s still some confusion because the Chess.com rating doesn’t always reflect ratings in real life. Also, there is more access to coaching. You can watch a good YouTube video and get some pretty good information from it. 

ML

I know what you mean. For example, if you play in a tournament, like the US Amateurs Team East, there is a chance you’ll play against an “unrated” player. The reality is that some unrated players are advanced because they play online chess. They could be 1,600 on Chess.com, but because they never played a rated over-the-board game they are still considered unrated and have the potential to affect a high-rated player. 

MJ

Yeah, I think that the over-the-board is a different beast. You can’t pre-move in an over-the-board game. In tournaments recently, I have seen many more players panic when their time is below three minutes. There is still a delay!

ML

How was your College Bound experience?

MJ

My College Bound experience was up and down. What stands out to me the most was playing rated games on Thursday nights. I remember a lot of those games were intense. I think one of the most memorable things was breaking 2,000 in that office. I worked hard to get a draw against a high-rated player, which helped me break 2,000. Although I didn’t stay until twelfth grade, I enjoyed the competitiveness of Chess Nights and the friends I had. 

ML

What advice would you give to current College Bound Students?

MJ

I think you should take what you can from the program. I was explaining this to someone yesterday. In some high schools, there are kids with amazing grades but lack college guidance. It’s about improving your access to resources and using what you learn to make a difference. College Bound does that for students who need guidance. 

ML

What was your experience starting a Chess Club in high school? Were there any challenges?

MJ

Well, I had a lot of support from the principal at the time. I think that is rare. In most high schools a regular high school student can’t sit down with the principal and tell them they want to start a club. Even now, I think the vision that I had surprised me. When you get all the support you need to form a club, the only challenge that arises is trying to make something out of it. Suddenly there are a lot of expectations. I wouldn’t say it was a challenge to start it, there was more of a challenge to maintain it. 

ML

How did it feel being on a team?

MJ

Someone once asked me what my biggest failure was, and I think it was when I competed at my last nationals. We needed the win, and I was having my worst nationals ever. I did not win a game after the first day. Murrow [Edward R. Murrow High School] won first place and we won eighth. When we played, our goal was not just to beat other top schools, but to come in first place. I remember one chess national I had a good tournament. My team didn’t do as well. I think that was an important moment. We didn’t point any fingers at each other, or blame anyone for losing. We stuck together and supported each other. I believe knowing that we were still friends, no matter if we won or lost, made us fight harder as a team in tournaments after that.

ML

Did you think the club would still be there when you graduated?

MJ

You know, I never thought about that when I was in high school. I was on a team with other people, but I never stopped to think about what would happen once we all graduated. I mean, I knew Justus [Justus Williams] was there when I was a freshman, and it should have been natural that he would take over the club. I think we were all focused on trying to do as many things as we could with the team we had. We knew we only had one year to win. Eventually, we all graduated, but I’m happy that others were able to maintain the club and keep it alive. 

ML

What college did you attend?

MJ 

I went to City College in Harlem. I was lucky to be able to get in there. I had to meet with the head of the admissions department. College was hard at the beginning. I remember within my first two years I only had about 28 credits. Two and a half years later, I had all 120. The biggest changes I made were sitting in front of the class and working hard in the library. 

ML

What inspired you to teach at your former high school?

MJ

Initially, I wasn’t employed as a teacher in that school, but I was still working at Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics. I was expecting a daughter, and I wanted a more stable job. The teachers there were all supportive and motivated me to become a teacher.

ML

What is your current goal with the BCSM Chess Club?

MJ

I want them to love chess, enjoy the struggle of improving, and know what it is like to be a part of a team where people challenge each other while still supporting each other.

ML

Currently, a lot of the top chess players come from Brooklyn, and most Bronx players reach an intermediate level. When you were in high school, you and your teammates were all Bronx students who were top players. Why do you think you were all able to stay at the top? What do you think has changed?

MJ

I’m happy that you asked this question. I think to answer that I have to go back a bit and think about what I saw when I was growing up. Some players learn how to play chess when they’re in elementary school and go on to play in a middle school chess club. And from there, they play in high school. Maybe, they don’t have a team in their high school, but they still compete. If you add up just those years that’s about 5-7 year’s worth of chess play before high school. A lot of the guys I was on the team with went to MS. 118X, so they didn’t begin playing chess when they walked into BCSM. I think the chess pipeline has broken in the Bronx. When you look at Brooklyn, you see they have a good system. Kids have a lot of options if they want to start or continue playing chess. Also, back then, the rivalries motivated us to improve. Not only did we all want to beat IS 318, but also we wanted to beat each other. I had so many battles with my teammates before we got to BCSM, and that helped us improve. I remember in 8th grade seeing one of my teammates –Jonathan—win first place at a holiday tournament. I had yet to do that. I was motivated to improve after that. When you have a rival, you want to play your best and you want to be the best. For example, if a Bronx or Harlem player was able to walk out of a tournament at I.S. 318K with the top prize, then we knew it was a good day. Even with my current chess students, I want them to play like a team but find individual players that make them better.

ML

I know what you mean, especially when it comes to restoring a chess pipeline. Do you ever think it has to do with this idea that most Bronx middle school students are often encouraged to apply to high schools that aren’t in the Bronx?

MJ

Oh really. Where do they apply?

ML

Well a lot of students apply to schools in Manhattan because they think they can get a better education over there in comparison to the Bronx

MJ

I was raised in the Bronx. I went to school in the Bronx. I teach in the Bronx. I believe students are often taught that education can provide an opportunity to escape poverty in the Bronx. Unfortunately, it is more complicated than that. Getting a college education does not mean you will find a job that pays you enough to move away to end the cycle of poverty. Poverty is deeper than income. The Bronx will eventually change. However, the change won’t be due to the people who grew up there if they decide to leave. I went to school at PS. 70X and I grew up in the area. I don’t recognize the newly developed buildings right across the street. Who made this new change? Who lives here? Someone no one in the neighborhood knows. I think this is one of the things that is a bit frustrating to me. We often teach about leaving this place [The Bronx] behind, but then if everyone leaves who will stop the newer generation from falling into the same cracks? There will be no one left to tell them this is the game, and this is how you do it. Their wisdom and experience will move away with them. I’m not saying you must donate millions of dollars or that you must spend your life in the same community. I am here because the people who came from this neighborhood showed me the world was bigger than what I knew it to be and that I was more than who I thought I was. I’m saying there are other ways of giving back, and we can’t just abandon the Bronx. Community is community whether you like it or not, no one should ever forget where they came from. I think of people like Nas who never lets us forget about Queensbridge and James Baldwin who never lets us forget about Harlem. The place you grow up in doesn’t have to be beautiful, usually, it never is, but you should have some love for it. 

ML

Is there any advice you would give to your younger self?

MJ

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I wonder if I would listen to the advice anyway. I would tell myself that just because you can’t be certain that something will go right doesn’t mean that it isn’t right. Sometimes all you can see is the first step, and sometimes that is all you need to see. Get moving.

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