Inspired by true events, Cuba Gooding Jr plays Eugene Brown recently released from prison after serving 18 years for bank robbery. While in prison Eugene learns chess and realises through playing of chess there are many life lessons to be learnt. He goes on to develop a program called the Big Chair Chess Club to improve the lives of inner-city kids in Washington DC.

Mind Stars – Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Lisa Gay Hamilton…

What we like

• Brown was able to reach through to the kids as he knew how it felt to be in their shoes and he took it one step further by introducing chess. Through chess Brown taught the power of focus, discipline, self-respect and inner power. To focus on the “end game” rather than be carried away with the details or circumstances
• The real Eugene Brown in a cameo appearance as a tournament official

Mind experience

• In life we sometimes don’t understand why we are learning something and how it can actually help us in the “end game”. Just like the example of “wax on wax off” in the movie Karate Kid when he was given tasks to do around the home. He couldn’t understand why he needed to do all these different tasks like painting, scrubbing and waxing cars when he was meant to learn karate. Then it came to pass that the moves were the same as the karate moves and it became intuitive since he did the tasks so many times. With Eugene, he gave the kids a new way to look at things through chess moves. By repetition the chess moves became their moves in life. Intuitive as they moved to “Always think B4U Move” in everyday life. Think about what you have learnt and what it has prepared or helped you with, then share. You never know in sharing you might make a difference just like Eugene Brown

To think about

• Eugene Brown: It ain’t about whether you can or you can’t.
  It’s about whether you will or you won’t.
  
• Eugene Brown: You have real talent. That’ll take you further than any money, race, class any day of the week.

Link to Big Chair Chess Club
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