YO! I've been playing for years. Nonetheless, I do not know many Black people that play around these parts (Northern California). The people I know who do play, learned in their childhood and similarly, I picked it up in the 3rd grade. I am careful about making a general statement about Blacks and chess because many Blacks may know how to play but never actually put the knowledge into use. If it is true that few Blacks are playing, I would favor making chess a required activity for grade school children as it builds critical thinking skills.