Checkmates And Life Lessons

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Checkmates And Life Lessons was created by our Founder, Herbert G. Calderon. Mr. Calderon is a former inmate who was sentenced to a Life sentence in the State of California. Throughout his journey of incarceration he learned how to play Chess and discovered how similar life and the game of chess interrelated. He designed a 17 Week program that correlates Life and the Game of Chess by teaching the fundamentals of chess and cognitive techniques that enable Insight, Retrospect, Introspect, Goal Setting, Consequential Thinking, Strategy,  Realignment of Values and Perspective. Checkmates And Life Lessons is currently being taught in Soledad Correctional Training Facility State Prison, and soon will be integrated at other prisons that offer rehabilitative programming. 

In my personal journey, Chess completely altered the way I view life. My incarceration taught me patience by its natural course, but Chess enlightened me with the power of patience and choice. Discovering that I had a choice when to act and when not to act impulsively was a life changing experience for me. The process of Chess enabled me to identify my impulsive destructive behaviors that influence my erratic and irrational decision-making. Chess also has allowed me to process my life through the lens of value, strategizing to keep the little but most valuable that I have in my life. Ultimately, Chess has taught me to think beyond the moment and enabled me to gain insight into realizing that winning and losing is subjective. Most of my life I had made it about me, selfishly affecting those who loved me the most. With Chess, I have learned that the true essence of life is the experience and the journey to obtaining wisdom, and living a life full of love and value. With Chess I have been able to rebuild my life into a positive healthy lifestyle, and it is the reason why I have created Checkmates And Life Lessons. I paroled from a Life Sentence by applying the natural process of the Game of Chess. Checkmates And Life Lessons is my personal road map to freedom and success for the world.