Event Overview
From music and oceanfront community experiences to chessboards and tournaments, a new partnership is helping plant seeds for a stronger chess community across Florida.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - August 6, 2026 - Chess Queens Crown Table (CQCT) is proud to welcome Lights Out Project Inc. / Sol Shine Syndicate as a new Community Partner and Donor, joining a growing network of national, regional, and local organizations, businesses, and community members supporting CQCT's mission to encourage, support, and elevate women and girls through chess.
Lights Out Project Inc.'s generous donation will help Chess Queens Crown Table continue providing chess equipment, community programs, tournaments, youth lessons, and sponsored opportunities through the Sponsor a Future Chess Queen program.
The contribution comes at an exciting time for CQCT, following the successful inaugural Chess Queens Crown Table Women's & Girls Community Open in Port St. Lucie and as CQCT prepares for its next US Chess-rated tournament, the Chess Queens Crown Table Women's & Girls Winter Bloom Open 2026, on December 6.
A Partnership Born Through Music
The connection between Chess Queens Crown Table and Lights Out Project began not in a boardroom, but on a dance floor.
In January 2026, Jason Noon, founder of Lights Out Project and Sol Shine Syndicate, saw Ifa Halima Bumi, founder of CQCT perform live during a Dubmassive reggae event in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Impressed by her performance and creative energy, Jason reached out about working together.
That initial connection has grown into a unique collaboration bringing live DJ music and chess together in oceanfront hospitality and community spaces along Florida's east coast, including venues and resorts throughout the Melbourne to Cocoa Beach areas.
The collaboration reflects a shared belief that community can be created in many different ways.
Sometimes it happens through music.
Sometimes it happens across a chessboard.
And sometimes the two can share the same space.
"Music and chess both have a way of bringing people together," said Ifa Halima Bumi, Founder of Chess Queens Crown Table. "This partnership represents exactly the kind of community connection I envisioned when I created CQCT. We can create spaces where people come together, discover something new, build relationships, and feel like they belong."
Meet Lights Out Project
Based along Florida's east coast barrier islands, Lights Out Project Inc. is the business umbrella supporting Lights Out Project, a psychedelic island-fusion jam band blending world music, urban rhythms, reggae-inflected sounds, and the energy of Florida's coastal communities.
Founded by lifelong surfer and musician Jason Noon, the organization encompasses multiple creative ventures, including Lights Out Project, Sol Shine Syndicate, Garden House Studios, Vibe Asylum, and Jason's professional DJ and entertainment operations.
Jason's journey has taken him from playing in garage bands and surfing the Florida coast to traveling internationally, living and performing in Hawaii, recording and producing music, building a professional recording studio, becoming a DJ, and developing an entertainment booking agency.
His experiences have shaped a business philosophy centered around music, creativity, collaboration, and community.
That philosophy now extends to supporting the growth of chess.
When Music Meets Chess
Through the partnership between CQCT and Lights Out Project/Sol Shine Syndicate, live DJ entertainment and chess have been brought together in unique community experiences at oceanfront resorts and hospitality venues along Florida's Space Coast.
These experiences create an opportunity to see chess differently, not simply as a competitive game, but as a way to gather, connect, learn, and engage with one another.
Chess doesn't have to stay inside a traditional chess club.
It can be played at a community gathering, a coffee shop, a family event, a resort, an oceanfront venue or anywhere people are willing to pull up a chair and share the board.
That spirit is at the heart of Chess Queens Crown Table.
A Donation That Helps Plant Seeds
Lights Out Project Inc.'s donation will help support CQCT's continued development of programs and opportunities including:
- Chess equipment and supplies
- Community chess programs and gatherings
- Women's and girls' chess tournaments
- Youth chess lessons and educational programming
- Sponsored seats through the Sponsor a Future Chess Queen program
The Sponsor a Future Chess Queen initiative helps create opportunities for women and girls who may otherwise face financial barriers to participating in tournament chess.
Every donation helps make it possible for another person to sit down at the table, learn something new, challenge themselves, and discover what they are capable of.
A Growing Circle of Community Partners
Lights Out Project now joins a growing circle of organizations and community partners supporting the vision of Chess Queens Crown Table.
CQCT is grateful for the support and collaboration of national, Florida, regional, and local partners who recognize the value of creating more opportunities through chess.
Among those supporting the growing CQCT community are organizations such as The Gift of Chess, HOODE, Florida Chess Association, Space Coast Chess Foundation, Port St. Lucie Knights Chess Club, Panera Bread and now Lights Out Project Inc. / Sol Shine Syndicate, along with community members, educators, families, businesses, and individual supporters.
Each partnership brings something different to the table.
Together, they help create something bigger.
COMING THIS WINTER: Chess Queens Crown Table Women's & Girls Winter Bloom Open 2026
Sunday, December 6, 2026
Panera Bread, Port St. Lucie, Florida
US Chess Rated
Women's & GIRLS Open
Women's & Girls Under 1600
Community Elite Quad 1000+
The boutique-style tournament Chess Queens Crown Table Women's & Girls Winter Bloom Open 2026 also offers players an opportunity to sharpen their game, gain tournament experience, and connect with fellow chess players in the days leading up to the 2026 US Chess Federation national tournament in Orlando beginning December 11th the 2026 National K-12 Grade Championships.
Whether you're preparing for Orlando, returning to tournament chess, or simply looking for a welcoming place to play, there is a seat at the table for you.
Registration is now open:
Register online at CQCT Square Merchant Portal: https://square.link/u/2j3POiRF
More Information:
https://new.uschess.org/chess-queens-crown-table-womens-girls-winter-bloom-open-2026
About Chess Queens Crown Table
Chess Queens Crown Table (CQCT) is a community-driven chess initiative dedicated to encouraging, supporting, and elevating women and girls through chess while creating opportunities for education, competition, mentorship, leadership, youth development, and community engagement.
CQCT believes chess is more than a game. It is a tool for developing confidence, critical thinking, patience, strategy, resilience, leadership, and connection.
Through tournaments, youth programs, community gatherings, private instruction, partnerships, and the Sponsor a Future Chess Queen program, CQCT is working to create a chess community where more people can learn, compete, connect, and discover their potential.
Planting Seeds Through Empowered Chess.
About Lights Out Project Inc.
Lights Out Project Inc. is a Florida-based corporate entity supporting Lights Out Project, a psychedelic island-fusion jam band rooted in Florida's east coast barrier island communities.
The organization supports the band's musical operations, live performances, recording, merchandise, media, and associated bookings through Sol Shine Syndicate, as well as related creative and entertainment ventures.
Through music, DJ entertainment, recording, and community partnerships, Lights Out Project continues to create spaces where people can connect through shared experiences.
Community Partnerships Make the Difference
Chess Queens Crown Table welcomes businesses, organizations, artists, educators, chess clubs, families, and community members who believe in creating more opportunities through chess.
Whether through a donation, sponsored seat, chess equipment, educational program, event collaboration, or simply sharing the vision, every contribution helps plant another seed.
1707 St. Lucie West Blvd. #174
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
United States