There is an excitement growing throughout the facilities within KDOC thanks to 1) the game of chess, 2) a non-profit organization in New York City called The Gift of Chess, and 3) a KDOC resident who is scheduled to be paroled in 2025. The first ever KDOC Chess Champion will be crowned June 28th during an online tournament. It’s part of a whirlwind idea sparked by Tony Ballard, a resident chess guru at the Wichita Work Release Facility. Ballard has used the game of chess as a cognitive rehabilitative tool to help change his life around. His success on the chess board has opened the door for him to meet and befriend other chess players outside the facility, including Russell Makofsky, chess teacher and founder of a non-profit organization that gives away chess sets to school children and refugees around the country. Both see the benefits that come from playing the game, including developing critical thinking and decision-making skills. Through their friendship, The Gift of Chess is making quite an impact in the chess world as well as corrections communities around the world. Makofsky appointed Ballard as the Director of Prison Outreach for The Gift of Chess. Although he will not be paroled until 2025, Ballard continues to help the organization’s goal of distributing one million chess sets by the year 2030.