Princeton Students, Maximum Security Inmates to Square Off in Chess Competition

Five highly-rated chess players, all students at Princeton University, will compete against inmates at New Jersey State Prison, the maximum security facility in Trenton on Friday, Nov. 22.

The “Ivies vs. Inmates” competition, during which each Princeton student will simultaneously face off in separate games against several offenders, will begin at 8 a.m. at the prison.

Princeton students have agreed to leave the comfort of the Ivy League "orange bubble." Book smarts will meet street smarts, with the chess board as the common denominator.

The competition dates back more than a decade, although Friday's matches will mark the first time a group of Princeton students has competed against New Jersey State Prison inmates since April 2012.

The offenders will face their opponents from Princeton armed with the lessons they’ve learned through their involvement with chess, such as strategy, patience, respect. These lessons apply to life as well, which is why New Jersey Department of Corrections officials view the chess program at New Jersey State Prison and other facilities as a valuable learning tool.

Meanwhile, the students – three men and two women, one of whom hails from Australia – will have an opportunity to embark on a real-life experience far different than what they will encounter in Princeton’s corridors.