Livingston Town Center Chess Tournament & Fundraiser
Report by NJSCF President Anand Mishra
Saturday, August 9, 2025 – Outdoor Community Event
View Photo Gallery
On the morning of Saturday, 8/9/25, I had the good fortune of making some opening remarks alongside municipal, county, and state district politicians about the chess tournament and fundraiser held in the Livingston Town Center, outdoors.
A Perfect Day for Chess
Under sunny skies and comfortable temperatures, I saw parents and their kids come to register for the tournament. Set aside behind the main stage where music was playing was our trusted TD that appears everywhere, Stephen Lorimor. I saw our fellow board member, Adrian Roberts, and his wife working the crowds trying to answer all the questions getting thrown their way.
Spotlight on Aston Roberts
But the star of the show was Adrian’s son, Aston Roberts. He was a prodigy in piano at the tender age of 5, played chess at Washington Square Park in NYC, rose through the rating to become a Candidate Master. He coached younger players at the schools and also at the Essex County correctional facility. He led his high school team at Livingston to 2nd place at the Nationals 2 years back. In his spare time in 2022, he started a non-profit, “Checkmate for a Better Future”. All this before he turns 18!
I told the crowd that I’ll be recruiting this promising young man to one day join the NJSCF board. Aston and I talked on the side about that afterwards and he will give it some thought along with applying to colleges and universities to pursue his passion for Environmental Science. He is the kind of person this federation — and quite frankly the world — needs more of today.
Recognition & Media Coverage
On the following day, Aston got interviewed by NY9.