Volume 2, Issue 4 

SCHOLASTIC CHESS UPDATE

APRIL 2002

Edited by Bob Ferguson, Member of USCF Scholastic Council

If you prefer, you may read this news online at www.chess.isgenius.com.  The direct link for the Scholastic Chess Update is http://www.geocities.com/chess_camp/update.html.  The American Chess School funds this eNewsletter.  Please visit our sponsor’s website at www.amchess.org and download the FREE chess research or read the details for the 21st anniversary of the Castle Chess Camps.

In this issue:

1.   Chess gets cool

2.   Scholarships for Chessplayers on Web at CNN!

3. The Scholastic Council Needs Your Help

4. Chess Is Genius Gets a Facelift

Greetings to All Chess Folks,

Welcome to the seventh issue (Volume 2, Number 4) of the Scholastic Chess Update.  One of the Scholastic Council’s goals is to improve communication among members of the scholastic community.  This e-Newsletter is the second step towards reaching this goal.  Our first step was the creation of a Scholastic Chess Website to communicate what the Scholastic Council is and what goals are being pursued.  For details, please visit www.chess.isgenius.com.

If you are NOT interested in scholastic chess, please click the reply button and type “remove” in the subject line.  If you know others who would like to receive this information, please forward the URL for the website to them.  If you are receiving multiple copies, please let us know so we can correct our error.

Chess gets cool

This article is on page 34 of the March 2002 Parents Magazine: Chess gets cool (by Arrica Elin SanSone)

Move over, Monopoly! Chess is now the hottest game among kids. In fact, membership in the U.S. Chess Federation of children 14 years and younger has increased fivefold in the past decade. And thanks to the game's high-profile role in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, kids are begging for a chance at the chessboard. Educators--who applaud the game's focus on problem solving and strategic thinking—are thrilled. "Children who learn chess become more self-confident and respectful," says Marley Kaplan, executive director of New York City's Chess-in-the-Schools program, which currently teaches some 36,000 kids how to play. "The game emphasizes manners, good sportsmanship, and discipline." For pointers on starting a chess club at your child's school—or teaching him at home—log on to www.uschess.org/scholastic.

Submitted by

Dr. Alexey Root

Scholarships for Chessplayers on Web!

Please visit www.Chess.isgenius.com and click on the scholarships link to review what colleges are currently granting chess scholarships.  Kelly Jacobs [[email protected]] also sent the following:  CHESS SCHOLARSHIPS ON THE CNN NEWS! HOW TERRIFIC! MAYBE WE CAN GET MORE SCHOLARSHIPS FROM MORE COLLEGES! 

The Scholastic Council Needs Your Help

Please visit http://www.geocities.com/chess_camp/coach_manual.html for details about one of our most critical projects.  We need help writing this manual.  If you are willing to share your expertise, please contact us at [email protected].  We would also appreciate your articles for the monthly Scholastic Chess Update. 

Keep those ideas coming!

Chess Is Genius Gets a Facelift

Please visit www.chess.isgenius.com to checkout our “new” look.  We have a lot of work to do yet, but we are gradually trying to improve the aesthetic appearance of the site.  Please let us know what content you would like to see added to the site--this is YOUR Website.  If you have Web mastering skills, coaching skills, or ideas, please help us out.

Registration pages on www.chess.isgenius.com are now active!

Thanks to George John our registration pages are now working properly.  Please suggest to your scholastic colleagues that they visit the following links to be added to our mailing lists.

FREE Chess Research Summary is available at www.amchess.org/research.  Educators around the world acknowledge that chess is a powerful tool for developing higher order thinking skills, creativity, numerical and verbal aptitudes, and memory.  Now, you can have the documentation to support your belief in the positive value of chess.  If you need more documentation, a 200+ page manual is available for a fee.  Contact [email protected] for further information.

How do you contact your scholastic representatives?

* Tom and Steve are ex-officio members. 

A message from our sponsor:

Details for the 2002 Castle Chess Camps are available at www.amchess.org. The Bradford Castle Chess Camp will be held July 21-28 and the Atlanta Castle Chess Camp is scheduled for June 9-16.  Both camps feature current U.S. Champion Joel Benjamin.

Registration info is at http://www.amchess.org/camp/registration.html. The full camp fee for residents at the Bradford camp is $739, but the early bird price is only $599.  Fees increase $20 per month after the early bird deadline. For more info, please visit the www.amchess.org website and click on Joel’s photo or the "Castle Chess Camp" button.