Chess is taking off in Texas

In Dallas-area schools, chess is taking off as classmates become checkmates
By ERIC AASEN
Staff Writer
Published: 26 November 2011 10:04 PM

LUCAS — The school day was over at Hart Elementary School, but dozens of kids barged into an empty classroom — to play chess.

They darted to the whiteboard and checked out pairing sheets to see whom they’d be playing.

They sat down at desks and sorted out their kings and queens, rooks and bishops.

Soon, whoops of “checkmate!” pierced the air.

Another weekly chess club gathering was under way at Lovejoy ISD in Collin County, where chess is thriving.

Chess is shedding its dorky reputation. In some schools, chess is cool. Thanks to games on computers and smartphones, kids are learning chess younger than ever.

School chess clubs have taken off in North Texas and across the country in recent years. Chess supporters say the game can improve problem-solving abilities, strengthen math skills and boost confidence.

At Hart Elementary, Tricia Dobson, president of the Lovejoy Leopard Chess booster club, scanned the room filled with chess players, smiling like a proud mom.

“I’m feeding them spinach,” she said, “and they love it.”

A kid handed Dobson a check for the upcoming chess session.

“You’re coming back!” she said, giving a high-five. “All right!”

Dobson got involved in the Lovejoy ISD chess program because her son wanted to play. Eventually, she helped expand the chess clubs to the middle school and high school.

Dobson played chess as a kid and passed along that love to her children. When her kids waited for swimming lessons, she’d play chess with them.

She dreams of buying an old firehouse in Allen and transforming it into a chess center, where tournaments would be held every weekend.

“Happy checkmating,” Dobson ends her emails.

She loves seeing other kids get hooked on chess. One child was so proud of his performance at a recent chess tournament that he wanted to sleep with his trophy.

“Chess brings success to kids,” Dobson said. “Parents love when their kids are successful, and this is such an avenue for success.”

Kids are becoming strong chess players because they’re being introduced to chess so early in life, said Keaton Kiewra, a chess instructor who helps out with the Lovejoy chess clubs.

“Chess is a lot of things,” he said. “It’s a sport. There’s definitely an art to it.”

Playing chess, Kiewra said, is like conducting a symphony.

“A lot of instruments are coming together to produce something,” he said. “In a chess game, you use your pieces together to achieve a common goal.”

One of the Hart Elementary chess players, Amber Liu, 7, wants to eventually be a grandmaster, the highest title a chess player can earn.

She started playing after she saw her dad play chess. It seemed like fun, she said.

“It feels really exciting when I win,” she said.

When she’s not playing chess at school, she’s playing with her dad.

“He goes kind of easy on me,” she said.

Elsewhere in the classroom, Riley McGowan sat with Jay Hendrix. The second-graders faced a sea of black and white pawns, knights, queens and kings.

Jay, what’s your strategy?

He shook his head. He didn’t want to give anything away.

Then he leaned over and cupped his hand over a visitor’s ear.

“Get the queen,” he whispered. “It’s worth nine points.”

Jay moved a black knight and got a white pawn. Then, Riley moved a white king and got a black knight.

Soon, Jay’s king was under attack.

“This,” Jay declared, “is a good game!”

As Jay pondered his next move, Riley pondered his interest in chess.

“It’s just better than checkers,” he said, “because there are a lot more moves. With checkers, all you can do is move diagonally.”

Soon, chess club was over, and kids were leaving the room. But Jay and Riley stayed in their seats.

But then one of Riley’s friends announced that his mom was there to pick them up.

“Oh darn,” Riley said, getting up from his seat. “Good game, Jay.”

Another classmate slid into Riley’s chair, and he and Jay kept playing.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com

Putting chess and children first!

Brownsville Protects Chess Legacy at Its Schools
By REEVE HAMILTON
Published: November 24, 2011

Budget cuts may have taken more than $30 million out of the Brownsville Independent School District’s budget for the next two years, but administrators say they are working to preserve financing for one key pot of money: the chess budget. This academic year, it totals $400,000.

“I don’t think there’s any other school district in the nation that puts dollars of any consequence into chess,” said Jay Harris, who coordinates the district’s program.

But for Brownsville, a border city that is one of the poorest in the nation, the “royal game” serves as an avenue to success and a source of pride that many believe is worth the investment.

This year, roughly 4,000 students have signed up to participate in the district’s chess offerings, which include regular tournaments. Mr. Harris said it was typical to see 500 to 800 students at an event.

It is a far cry from two decades ago, when J. J. Guajardo, then an elementary school teacher, showed students how to play chess as a way to ward off behavioral issues. It struck a chord.

In 1993, Mr. Guajardo’s team won its first state championship, a feat it repeated every year through 1999, establishing Brownsville as a chess powerhouse.

But his students had to drive as far as Houston or even Dallas to compete, so he also began organizing local tournaments. In the early days, he said, there was no budget, and each tournament attracted only 30 to 40 players.

“I even had to convince administrators not to count my kids absent when they went to tournaments,” Mr. Guajardo said.

He credits parents with recognizing the value of the game and pushing for financing.

“It was part of an academic endeavor,” Mr. Guajardo said. “When they were doing chess, they were doing weightlifting for the brain.”

For many, the effort has paid off in the form of scholarships to colleges and universities. “This might be stretching it a bit,” Mr. Harris said, “but nearly 100 percent of our kids who get involved in chess continue their education beyond 12th grade.”

Chess has also become part of the core identity of the University of Texas at Brownsville, which is in the process of establishing itself as a stand-alone four-year institution. “When you hear U.T.-Brownsville in the future, it will be physics, soccer, volleyball and chess,” said Juliet V. García, the university’s president.

Russell Harwood, the director of the university’s program, which was established in 2001, said chess was “the only arena in which U.T.B. competes at the highest level.” The team now includes players from as far away as the Czech Republic and Peru and has claimed several major victories, including this year’s state championship.

Domingo Santoyo, a native of Brownsville and a sophomore at U.T.B. who plays on the chess team, began playing in middle school. He was born without arms, and chess was one of the few activities available to him.

Mr. Santoyo said the game enabled him to travel the country playing tournaments in cities like Nashville and Denver.

And “chess taught me to be patient,” he said. “It taught me that you can make mistakes, but you have to bounce back.”

His younger brothers now play chess in the Brownsville I.S.D. program. Mr. Santoyo’s advice to them and their peers: “Keep playing, work hard and you can do anything through chess.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

Vision Academy teaching kids to make all the right moves — in chess

Vision Academy teaching kids to make all the right moves — in chess
By: Amy Crawford | 11/24/11 6:58 PM
Examiner Staff Writer

Cameron Smith was about to lose his knight.

“Please don’t do it! Don’t do it, Kian,” the boy pleaded, sighing with relief after tutor Kian Alavi changed his mind about taking the piece.

Cameron, a fifth-grader at Claire Lilienthal Alternative School, had been playing chess for less than five weeks, but after a few more moves he was able to play Alavi to a draw.

“He’s advancing quickly,” Alavi said.

Alavi, 34, co-founded a program called the Vision Academy, which operates after-school centers in the Mission, Hayes Valley and the Bayview. The program, which began last summer and now serves 75 children, combines homework help, educational technology and chess — using the game to teach reasoning and focus.

“Before you move, you gotta think every time,” Cameron said.

Cameron is one of about 15 children in kindergarten through sixth grade who attend Vision Academy at Calvary Hill Community Church, a predominantly black congregation housed in a former warehouse on an industrial strip in the Bayview.

“It’s a calming game; it takes a lot of discipline and restraint,” said Hollis Pierce, the church’s director of community partnerships, who brought Vision Academy to Calvary Hill last summer after learning that the secular nonprofit was looking for a space.

Pierce, an education consultant and former teacher, also is training tutors and seeking grant funding that would allow for more staff at the Bayview site.

Although the program costs $65 a week, some children’s tuition is paid by the San Francisco Children’s Council. At the Bayview site, Calvary Hill subsidizes attendance for children whose families cannot afford to pay for the after-school program. Alavi said no child would be turned away for lack of funds.

“No child is denied — that’s our philosophy,” he said.

Alavi, who left a career in finance and real estate hoping to make a difference in the community, said that chess, which students get to play every afternoon as a reward for completing their homework, was the key component to the Vision Academy.

“There’s so many benefits to chess,” he said. “You have to win graciously and lose graciously. Kids who become involved in chess become better students.”

Cameron put it more succinctly.

“It helps you get smarter,” he said.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com

Armenia Takes Chess Obsession Into Classroom

Armenia Takes Chess Obsession Into Classroom
By AVET DEMOURIAN Associated Press
YEREVAN, Armenia November 15, 2011 (AP)

Tiny Armenia is a big player in world chess, and a new gambit could make it even bigger: mandatory chess in school.

The click-clack of chess pieces is being heard around the former Soviet nation's primary schools this fall, as the game becomes part of the curriculum along with such standards as math and history for children between the ages of 7 and 9.

Chess is a national obsession in this nation of 3 million people tucked away in a corner between Turkey and Iran. The passion was fostered in modern times by the exploits of chess champion Tigran Petrosian, who won the world championship in 1963 and then successfully defended his title three years later.

In July, a six-person national squad came first at the World Team Chess Championship in Ningbo, China. The returning players and their coach were greeted as heroes and collectively awarded $20,000. That group included up-and-coming player Levon Aronian, 28, who is currently rated third in the World Chess Federation's rankings.

Armenian authorities say teaching chess in school is about building character, not breeding chess champs.

The education minister says taking the pastime into classrooms will help nurture a sense of responsibility and organization among schoolchildren, as well as serving as an example to the rest of the world.

"We hope that the Armenian teaching model might become among the best in the world," Armen Ashotyan told The Associated Press.

Half a million dollars were allocated to the national chess academy to draw up a course, create textbooks, train instructors and buy equipment. Another $1 million went toward buying furniture for chess classrooms.

The only thing 8-year-old David Ayrapetyan is hoping for from the program: an opponent worthy of his skills.

The chess whiz finds the retirees and children who hang out in the yard outside his apartment block to be pushovers. Only classmate Aren Sedrakyan can give Ayrapetyan a run for his money.

Ayrapetyan's father, Arman, is happy to put up with the boy's incessant pleas for him to find better opponents. He thinks chess is good for him no matter what the future holds.

"Even if he doesn't become a grandmaster, chess will teach him to think logically and improvise, as those are indispensable qualities in life," he said.

"By incorporating chess as part of the curriculum, you are including a game, and that's how kids see it," Fischer said. "They think they're focused on fun. So I think it is a great way to cross over between a true hardcore curriculum that's mandatory and the young children being able to play and explore and have fun."

http://abcnews.go.com

Chess makes kids think

Kids put strategy to the test
Library hosts annual chess tournament
5:43 PM, Nov. 12, 2011

Put 60 kids in a room together and chances are you’ll have difficulty hearing anything over the dull roar of their chatter.

On Saturday at the Iowa City Public Library, however, the 60 children in attendance were so quiet you could her a pin drop.

Or, more accurately, a chess piece.

Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library was the site of the library’s annual Kids’ Chess Tournament. Children’s librarian Katherine Hadley said the event — free to third- through sixth-grade students — was in its 13th year. Hadley said she started the event with local chess tutor and enthusiast Steve Young to give children who were interested in chess a neutral place to gather and play.

“It brings them into the library,” Hadley said, noting the library has all sorts of chess-related media available. “It gets kids away from computers.”

Children of all skill levels were paired off and pitted against one another. Winners went on to play other winners, while the others could stick around and continue playing. The lack of an elimination in the tournament meant participants could continue to play, learn and grow more comfortable with their skills. Participants were promised at least four matches. Refreshments also were served.

Young, president of the Iowa State Chess Association, said he has been playing since junor high or the “Fischer area,” referring to chess legend Bobby Fischer. Young said he was pleased to see so many young children turn out for the tournament.

“I want to see new chess players,” he said. “Chess makes kids think.”

Young said chess helps children develop good sportsmanship and points to research that shows it also helps participants develop their logical thinking ability. Young and other chess enthusiasts were on hand for the tournament to answer questions for the players.

The tournament drew classmates Oliver Parsons, 10, and Sophie Trom, 9 — both fourth-grade students at Lincoln Elementary School — to the tournament. The students said they have a chess club at school and have participated in tournaments in the past.

“I like the strategy and the thinking,” Oliver said.

“It’s just really fun,” Sophie added.

Hadley said every player would receive ribbons for participating. Trophies were awarded to first- and second-place finishers in the beginner and advanced divisions.

Source: http://www.press-citizen.com

Turning chess into game of learning

Elgin teacher turns chess into game of learning
7:00 AM, Nov. 13, 2011

GREEN CAMP - An Elgin Junior High School teacher is using the game of chess to encourage learning.

Kim Cornelius, who now teaches eighth grade, started incorporating chess into her lessons 14 years ago while teaching sixth-graders at Elgin West Elementary about the novel "The Westing Game." The mystery, written by Ellen Raskin, makes references to the game.

She is now including a chess unit in her nine-week language arts wheel class, part of a series of electives meant to help junior high teachers expand on topics beyond the time available while teaching the core topics.

"Teaching chess connects to all content areas, history, math, language arts and science," Cornelius said. "We study the history of chess, the fact that the chessboard was created from an algebraic equation, the science of learning and playing the game."

She also wanted to teach students about competition in a way that doesn't involve playing a physical sport.

In the class it goes beyond playing the game. Students watch the movie "Knights of the South Bronx," which stars Ted Danson and Keke Palmer, and use a story map graphic organizer to track the story elements. They are required to create a three-paragraph story summary and research the game, including its history, its rules and the benefits of learning the game.

Several students said they enjoy the lessons, though some were faring better than others at mastering the game.

"I think it's really cool," said Audrey Watkins. "With all the stuff we've been doing, it's supposed to help your brain focus and think more clearly."

She said the game was simple to learn but added she had won only one game so far.

As far as how it felt to lose, she said, "You know you played a good game. That way you can get better."

Corey Collins said he enjoys how the game gets his brain working. His brother had taught him how to play.

Taylor Jones and Sierra Collins, after competing against each other on Wednesday, said they enjoy getting the chance to play with friends. Taylor said the difficult part of the game is figuring out which way to move while Sierra agreed, talking about trying to figure out what she is trying to do as she makes each move.

"It's a mind game," Sierra said.

Cornelius, whose father was a barber in Waldo, said she learned how to play in his barbershop. She said, though, that she really didn't have the interest and patience at that time and really didn't build up an interest in the game until she taught about the novel "The Westing Game."

"Chess is a game with a rich history and is known around the world," she said. "I love chess because I can connect it to about any aspect of learning."

While teaching about the history and the game's rules, Cornelius also tries to get a few life lessons in as well.

Source: http://www.marionstar.com

Chess strategies can be used to create future leaders

Chess strategies can be used to create future leaders: Anand
PTI
Nov 12, 2011, 09.52PM IST

NEEMRANA (Rajasthan): Ace Indian chess player and the defending world champion Viswanathan Anand feels that the sport has the ability to create future leaders and gives vent to the "real and meaningful thinking".

"Chess offers an outlet for pure, real and meaningful thinking, and the game has a 'Zen' like quality of symmetry, equality and fair play," said Anand.

Anand while addressing a packed gathering at the NIIT University on Saturday said progress in education and knowledge are intrinsically linked with the human brain and added that the strategies used in chess can effectively be used to build a sound future.

"The strategies from the game of chess can be used effectively and innovatively to create the great leaders tomorrow," Anand insisted while emphasising on 'Building a Beautiful Mind.'

Established with a vision to bring about innovation in higher education and learning in emerging areas of the knowledge society, the NIIT University on Saturday hosted the 3rd Annual Lecture by Member of Parliament and chairperson of the institute Karan Singh.

Singh in his lecture told the students that India's aspirations are touching new heights and insisted that the country needs an education system that emphasises on over all development of individuals.

"We are today the world's largest democracy and by the year 2050, we would be the second largest economy in the world. To sustain this growth, we need a higher education system that goes beyond text book learning and focuses on holistic development of individuals," said Singh.

He also enlighten the gathering with his thoughts on the vedantic philosophy and insisted that the concept of "world as one family" is the only way to go forward.

Karan Singh also awarded degree certificates to the first batch of MTech students from the emerging field of Educational Technology while Anand in his customary style played chess with the students.

On the occasion, founder NIIT University and chairman NIIT limited, Rajendra S Pawar said with the world shifting towards a knowledge driven society, tight compartmentalisation of education will soon become redundant.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mr. Solomon's Chess Gifts

It was the various travel sets and other goodies that came from Mr. Solomon’s last visit to Norfolk that inspired the idea of giving sets and boards etc. to students who grade-bust (raising a grade without dropping any others) and who boost behavior or attendance.

I posted a call for more and here he was at my door today.

However, that does not mean we don’t need sets, boards, books and clocks you are tired of and want to pass along to a child who can’t afford their own chess supplies. We need it all from score sheets to pieces.

My youngest son Quinten is featured in this video, he has Aspergers and loves nothing better than chess and sorting. This was his dream day.

Send chess goodies to:

Lisa Suhay c/o Lamberts Point Community Center

1251 W. 42nd Street
Norfolk, VA 23508
(757) 423-1088

Donate used chess sets to help kids: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/11/donate-your-old-sets-for-use-as-grade.html

Life lessons for youth

Chess program influences life lessons for youth
October 31, 2011 by Lauren Hertzler

Young students from Meade Elementary learn the game of chess from the Director of Community Relations L. Harrison Jay, and gain life lessons in the process.

The concept of playing chess dates back to the Early Middle Ages and still persists today as a method of intellectual development and cultural growth.

In September 2009, the Director of Community Relations L. Harrison Jay started a chess program at Temple in collaboration with Meade Elementary School, located approximately two blocks from Main Campus.

The chess program provides local fifth and sixth grade students with a comforting, free place to go year-round every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. This program is a “safe haven for these kids,” Jay said.

Jay learned how to play chess from his grandmother, and played on his high school team all four years. His experience has taught him to compare the values and responsibilities of particular pieces on the chess board with values and responsibilities in life.

“[Chess] truly is about how you handle yourself in life,” Jay said.

“These kids in elementary school, that’s where you have to get them, when they’re in high school and college, that’s a little late, that’s how I see chess impacting these young guys,” Jay added.

More here.

Bulgarian school puts chess on the curriculum

Bulgarian school puts chess on the curriculum
Pupils playing chess at the Eurostandard High School in Sofia
Eastern Europe | 29.10.2011

In a classroom on the top floor of the Eurostandard High School in central Sofia, a group of pupils are laying out chess sets ready for their next lesson.

At the beginning of the school year, these pupils became the first in Europe to take chess classes as an obligatory subject. It's a pilot project initiated in partnership with the European Chess Union. The program is designed to promote chess among young people throughout Europe.

"We care about our children of the new generation in Europe, so of course we want to give them the best, that's why we need to promote chess," Boyko Hristov from the European Chess Union told Deutsche Welle. "That's why our partnership became a reality."

Privileged few

The children at Eurostandard are the lucky ones. It's a private high school, which specializes in preparing elite students for careers in banking, finance and insurance. There are just 50 pupils, aged 14 to 18.

Hristov hopes this school will be the first of many. He said the Bulgarian Ministry of Education has expressed an interest in introducing chess classes in the public school system, but there's one major stumbling block.

"Of course, the Bulgarian state has to find the money to promote chess in our schools," Hristov acknowledged.

The state would also have to find space for chess in the national curriculum. Currently, Bulgarian children have three hours of physical education a week. Hristov has suggested that the third hour could be lent to chess lessons. He sees chess as a kind of exercise for the brain.

"We treat chess like a sport, not just like a game. It really is a sport, because we train our muscles, but our brain is part of our body, the same as our muscles. It just has a different function," said Hristov. "There's a lot of research which shows if you train your brain, it will be in good condition for longer."

In Bulgaria, the National Olympic Committee has even been fighting for chess to be recognized as an Olympic sport.

Winning support from Brussels

In September, the European Chess Union presented their program for "chess in schools" to the European Parliament. Apparently it was received with "great interest."

However, chess is already a popular pastime in eastern Europe. In the Balkans, children are taught to play at a young age. In Bulgaria, great chess players like Veselin Topalov have become national heroes.

By contrast, in western Europe, there is less of a tradition of chess playing. It may be harder to convince schools in countries like France and Germany of the need to treat chess as anything more than a hobby.

The European Chess Union would argue that chess is an important tool for developing strategic thinking, logic and concentration skills among all youngsters. At the Eurostandard High School, two 17-year-olds give their thoughts on the subject.

"I like it as an idea in school because chess is developing your thinking skills and your mental condition," explained Stefan. "It's great to play in school."

"It's a great idea because it exercises your brain," said Christian. "But I don't like it personally. It's OK for entertainment."

Author: Joanna Impey, Sofia
Editor: Martin Kuebler

Source: http://www.dw-world.de

Chess program for at-risk kids

Artwork by Mike Magnan

Lexington sheriff, school kids start chess program
Posted: Oct 28, 2011 3:03 AM CDT

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) - The Lexington County Sheriff's Department and Lexington County School District One are teaming up to start a chess program for at-risk kids.

Sheriff James Metts says the kickoff was scheduled for Friday at Rocky Creek Elementary School in Lexington. He says the program allows children to interact with law enforcement officers while learning to play chess.

Erik Murrah is the department's social media coordinator, and he is implementing the program with Rocky Creek assistant principal Adam Dymond. Murrah won the 2009 South Carolina Amateur Chess Championship and competes regularly in regional chess tournaments.

Murrah says children who participate regularly in chess games develop mental discipline and may experience improved test scores in math and science.

Source: http://www.wbtv.com