This fund was established in honor of Sophie Krupp ’24 and her passion for the game of Chess and the community surrounding it.
Eighth Grader Sophie Krupp passed away unexpectedly. Sophie started at Speyer in Kindergarten in 2015 and was less than five months away from graduating. Her parents, her teachers, her classmates, and the entire community came together to process the loss and to determine ways to honor her — two special initiatives were established to celebrate Sophie and her legacy.
In April 2025, the Sophie Krupp Memorial Citizenship Award was created to recognize a graduating Eighth Grade student who embodies the qualities of character and citizenship that we prize at Speyer and that Sophie embodied: kindness, usefulness, and fearlessness. Recent recipients of this award were Emmy Rno and Emma Yuan from the Class of 2025, and Landon Faigle from the Class of 2026.
In addition, the Sophie Krupp Chess Fund was launched in honor of Sophie and her passion for the game of Chess and the community surrounding it. Sophie’s parents, Yuri and Victoria Krupp, have remained strong pillars of the Speyer community, continuing her legacy, with the founding of the Sophie Krupp Chess Fund. Since Sophie’s passing, Yuri and Victoria have worked diligently on campaigning for this fund. It supports the many costs associated with our Girls Chess program including travel expenses, hosting guest speakers, community events, and social gatherings. Additionally, an annual award will be presented to a meritorious girl in the Speyer Chess program, further honoring Sophie’s legacy.
An additional element of this initiative is the Sophie Krupp Charitable Chess Festival. This event will be held annually, and the inaugural festival was held on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at Speyer. It was a full day of chess fun, social activities, and celebration of Sophie’s passions. This is a wonderful tradition we look forward holding each year.
Contributions are directed to the Speyer Financial Literacy Fund, where they are added to the principal and the annual returns are used to support the Chess program at Speyer. This structure allows gifts to the Sophie Krupp Chess Fund to grow over time, ensuring that Sophie’s legacy will be honored and remembered by Speyer students for generations to come.
We hope more girls are encouraged to explore the game of Chess and continue their interest in the program without financial constraint. Through this fund, the essence of Sophie lives on and continues her indelible impact on others at Speyer.
