After his Waubonsie Valley High School and Benet Academy chess teams finished in 5th and 17th place (of 128 teams), respectively, at the 2025 IHSA State Chess Championship in Peoria in mid-February, Dr. Mikhail Korenman and his wife Tamara, took a much-needed vacation. Upon their return on Tuesday February 25th, as they left O’Hare and were headed back home, they wished that all they had to focus on were the tasks of unpacking, doing laundry, sorting thru mail and getting ready for work the next day. Unfortunately, as they pulled into their driveway, it became clearer the magnitude the uphill battled they would be facing.

Back in 2024, Mikhail and Tamara moved into their dream home, which they purchased and spent much of the year remodeling. But as they stood in their driveway last Tuesday, everything but the garage had reduced to the studs and the roof. They could see straight through the house as all the walls and all their possessions were gone, leaving essentially only the frame of their dream house in-tact.

For what the inspectors said was likely 2-3 straight days, water (caused by a frozen pipe) had been pouring into one of their 2nd story rooms. Mikhail’s/Tamara’s daughter went to the house days prior to their return as their home alarm system alerted her of an issue. She couldn't even open the front door as the 1st floor had 2+ feet of standing water and the crawlspace was flooded. The house was clearly uninhabitable and after speaking to her parents on the phone, their daughter hired a company to commence with the property clean-up and restoration. All the drywall, carpet, flooring, ceilings – not to mention all their clothes, valuables, etc. was completely ruined and were removed.

I spoke to Mikhail the day after they got home/assessed the damage. I asked what we could do and if I could share the news with the past/present Benet Chess families who all care about him and whose kids Mikhail has mentored over the year(s) and he said ‘sure’. But, being the proud man that he is and one who does not want pity, he insisted that I tell everyone that ‘We are fine. We have our health and our jobs.’ In fact, Mikhail pivoted quickly to discuss plans for Benet chess next year and to figure out which weeks over the summer we should have the Benet Summer Chess Camp.

While no doubt Mikhail & Tamara will get through this and the insurance company will cover some of their losses/help them to rebuild, it won’t recoup their lost time, nor will it replace memories and material assets such as his rare collection of 50yr old Russian chess books, etc. They have a long road ahead living in short-term housing with a lot of inconveniences and extra expenses above what the insurance will cover.

Therefore, on behalf of the Benet Chess Team, I am starting a GoFundMe fundraiser campaign for Mikhail and Tamara Korenman and would invite anyone who feels compelled to contribute to please do so in any amount your family feels appropriate. Mikhail does not know of this and I thought that maybe we can surprise him on Wednesday March 26 at the after school Benet Chess Club/Team pizza party that Mrs. Hassan is planning to throw for any and all Redwings who have participated in Benet Chess gatherings/tournaments this school year. We invited Mikhail and he is planning to attend.

Thanks for whatever contribution you are able to make as a way to let Mikhail know how much the Benet Redwing chess community appreciates him and recognizes him for the great man that he is. We are grateful for all he’s done for our kids and for the game of chess in Chicago and beyond.

To that point, and in closing, for those who don't know, last Summer, Mikhail was selected as the winner of the 2024 FIDE100 Social Impact Chess Excellence Award where he was up against 50+ other international nominees. When not teaching our Redwings chess, Mikhail serves as the Project Lead for 'Chess for Freedom' doing his part (in conjunction with the Cook County Sheriff), using chess as a tool to reintegrate and give hope to inmates in the Cook County Jail by providing chess training and running international online chess tournaments across 120 prisons in 60+ participating countries.