Chess 4 Charity Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by two kids from Northern Virginia. It started when co-founders Gabrielle Heller & her brother Garrett Heller came up with the idea to combine Garrett’s passion for chess and Gabby’s passion for helping others, by holding a chess tournament to raise money for charity.
The first event was held in 2012 and was such a success that we decided to continue hosting tournaments and create an annual event. We’ve held several events so far attended by hundreds of people each, and we have raised over $65,000 for a wide variety of charities. For each event, we select a charity to benefit. So far, we raised money to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation, Red Cross Hurricane Relief, and Torch Relay / Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, among others.
Management Team:
Gabrielle Heller (Gabby Heller)
Co-CEO
Gabrielle Heller is a first year student at the University of Virginia, originally from Northern Virginia and a prospective neuroscience major. She has been involved with Chess4Charity since its founding in 2012 and enjoys the time she spends giving back to the community and making it a better place. Besides Chess4Charity, she also loves to do art, play softball, and is involved with Project Sunshine and 180 Degrees Consulting at UVA.
Garrett Heller
Co-CEO
Garrett Heller has been playing in chess tournaments since he was in first grade. He’s played in over 130 tournaments so far and is now rated as a Candidate Master (CM), with a USCF rating of 2128, putting him in the 98th percentile nationally among all chess players, and the 99th percentile for players under 20 years old. He’s ranked #2 in the State of Virginia and #31 in the USA for his age group. He’s finished in the top 10 every year since 2011 in State and National tournaments.
