An Epic Cycle Ride for CSC

Simon Holin worked as a tutor for CSC a few years ago while studying in London. He is about to set off on a epic cycle ride, from his home town in Cologne all the way to Hong Kong, and is very kindly raising money for CSC while he does so.

The trip will take Simon five months and will take him through the major chess capitals of Europe (Budapest, Belgrade, etc), through Baku, birthplace of the legendary world champion Garry Kasparov, and then into China itself, now a major power in world chess. Simon is going to take a chess set with him and will be documenting the games he plays along the way.

Simon said: For me, chess is not just a hobby. Having led chess communities in high school and at university, I know how it can transform lives. First of all, it teaches patience, self-improvement, humility, and mutual respect. But the biggest impact it had on me is being part of a community. Many of my closest friends are people I met at my university chess club in London, or even just setting up my board in the centre of town to play strangers. The beauty of it is that chess is a universal language; it brings people together, no matter how old you are, where you're from, or what you do for work.

We wholeheartedly endorse those comments and are very grateful for everything Simon is doing, not just to raise money for CSC but also to raise the profile of chess along the way. We look forward to hearing updates of his story, which begins on 4th July.

You can follow Simon’s story via his Instagram account and check his progress here. If you would like to donate to Simon to support CSC, you can do so on his GoFundMe page. Best of luck to Simon!