Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson
The Gospel of Chess Making Every Move Count
By Mackenzie N. Morgan Last year, Orrin Hudson was accepting the “2012 Martin Luther King Award for Social Justice” at the United Covenant Church of Christ’s 23rd Holy Convocation in Atlanta when the guest speaker, Bishop Noel Jones, challenged him to a game of chess. Hudson, who operates the Be Someone chess training center in Stone Mountain, GA considered the challenge a divine appointment. A few months later, Hudson flew to Los Angeles and was the guest speaker at Bishop Jones’ City of Refuge Church, where he spoke at three worship services on a Sunday morning. Hudson preached
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a different kind of gospel, encouraging parishioners as any good chess player would, to “Make Every Move Count.” And later, Hudson says, he took up Bishop Jones on his offer to play a game of chess. “It was a tough match and I barely won. Bishop Jones has an excellent game,” Hudson said. “It was all in good fun, though. I enjoyed being in his presence. He is an awesome man of God. ” As a motivational speaker, Hudson said he has taken his message of positive thinking and making the right moves to several churches including Word of Faith Love Center in Atlanta;