Our first meetup is on September 8th 2025 at Purcellville Library in Purcellville, Virginia. Drop in any time between 4-6PM. 

Here's a peek at what happened at the September Meetup!

The Pawn Project is honored to welcome Dr. David Holcomb as our first featured guest.

Dr. Holcomb is a powerhouse both on and off the chessboard. Academically, he holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems and not one, but two doctorates—a PhD in Business Administration and a PhD in Information Technology. He even co-authored Building a Data Culture: The Usage and Flow Data Culture Model, cementing his role as a thought leader in the world of technology and business.

But his passion for chess runs just as deep. A life member of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) for more than 30 years, Dr. Holcomb’s journey in the game has taken him from Texas tournaments as a youth—where he consistently held ratings over 1800 USCF and collected more than 25 tournament wins—to global stages like the World Open in Philadelphia and, most recently, the Reykjavik Open in Iceland (April 2025). While in Reykjavik, he visited both the Bobby Fischer Center and Fischer’s gravesite, a bucket-list moment for many chess enthusiasts.

Throughout his career, he has:

• Defeated at least one National Master

• Finished 2nd in Texas as a junior, just behind a Senior Master peer

• Played multiple simultaneous exhibitions for charity—including the rare feat of a blindfold game

With his current FIDE rating just over 1700, Dr. Holcomb continues to embody what The Pawn Project is all about: lifelong learning, resilience, and the joy of chess.

We’re thrilled for our students to learn from not only his strategic insight, but also his inspiring journey that blends academic excellence, global experiences, and a true love of the game.