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SCHOLASTIC CHESS UPDATE |
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| Volume 2, Issue 6 | July-August 2002 |  |
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over 1,500 readers |
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Greetings to All Chess Folks, Welcome
to the ninth issue (Volume 2, Number 6) 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, visit www.chess.isgenius.com
or http://move.to/scholastic.chess. 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. If you would like to see an improved newsletter, VOLUNTEER!
Welcome to Scholastic Chess Welcome to another year in Scholastic Chess. This message will address
the following items: 1) Scholastic Council elections, 2) Items for the
Scholastic Committee to work on this year, and 3) Items from the Delegates
Meeting that will affect you.
** Story
Hour with the Grandmasters **
GM Joel Benjamin and GM Arthur Bisguier along with their
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News The
Week In Chess (TWIC) Tournament
News POISONED
PAWNS, NOT POISON IVY: FIRST EMORY/CASTLE CHESS CAMP A SUCCESS Coaches'
Corner Gets Facelift by Bob Ferguson
The
Website continues to require more hours than I have to give. If anyone
has a burning desire (or even a spark) to serve as webmaster, please email me
at [email protected]. Gradually,
I am attempting to add a few graphics, repair broken links, and identify the
blunders I have committed due to my lack of knowledge about web page
design. Recent changes at Coaches'
Corner include a new graphic on the home page, an online submission form
that actually works...or at least did in our beta testing. Please take
the time to visit the site and share your ideas, so we can continue to make it
more valuable. Thanks. _____________________________________________________
Dates for the 2003 Castle Chess Camp are
June 13-20 at Emory University in Atlanta and July 20-27 at the University of
Pittsburgh in Bradford. If
you would like to be placed on our mailing list for the camps, email
us at [email protected].
Chess�the
Best Thing this Side of Heaven! Why
Offer Chess in Schools? By
Chessmaster Jerry Meyers 1)
History Chess
is a classic game of strategy, invented more than 1500 years ago in India. Legend has it that the ruler of India asked his wise men to
devise a way to teach the children of the royal family to become better thinkers
and better generals on the battlefield. Chess was the result. In
the centuries since its invention, chess has spread to every country in the
world. While countless other games
have died out, chess lives on. In
the United States, it has received endorsements by many educators, ranging from
Benjamin Franklin to former U.S. Secretary of Education, Terrell Bell.
In Western Pennsylvania, more than 70 schools and a dozen libraries offer
chess programs, reaching several thousand students each year. 2)
Academic Benefits We
have brought chess to the schools because we believe it directly contributes to
academic performance. Chess makes
kids smarter. It does so by
teaching the following skills: Focusing
- Children are taught the benefits of obseerving carefully and concentrating.
If they don't watch what is happening, they can't respond to it, no
matter how smart they are. Visualizing
- Children are prompted to imagine a sequeence of actions before it happens.
We actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to shift
the pieces in their mind, first one, then several moves ahead.
Thinking
Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act.
We teach them to ask themselves "If I do this, what might happen
then, and how can I respond?" Over
time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness. Weighing
Options - Children are taught that they don't have to do the first thing that
pops into their mind. They learn to
identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions. Analyzing
Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and
sequences. Does this sequence help
me or hurt me? Decisions are
better when guided by logic, rather than impulse. Thinking
Abstractly - Children are taught to step back periodically from details and
consider the bigger picture. They
also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different, but
related situations. Planning
- Children are taught to develop longer raange goals and take steps toward
bringing them about. They are also
taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the
situation. Juggling
Multiple Considerations Simultaneously -Children are encouraged not to become
overly absorbed in any one consideration, but to try to weigh various factors
all at once. None
of these skills are specific to chess, but they are all part of the game. The beauty of chess as a teaching tool is that it stimulates
children's minds and helps them to build these skills while enjoying themselves.
As a result, children become more critical thinkers, better problem
solvers, and more independent decision makers. 3)
Educational Research These
conclusions have been backed up by educational research.
Studies have been done in various locations around the United States and
Canada, showing that chess results in increased scores on standardized tests for
both reading and math. A study on a
large scale chess program in New York City, which involved more than 100 schools
and 3,000 children, showed higher classroom grades in both English and Math for
children involved in chess. Studies
in Houston, Texas and Bradford, Pennsylvania showed chess leads to higher scores
on the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Torrance Tests of
Creative Thinking. 4)
Social Benefits In
the schools, chess often serves as a bridge, bringing together children of
different ages, races and genders in an activity they can all enjoy.
Chess helps build individual friendships and also school spirit when
children compete together as teams against other schools.
Chess also teaches children about sportsmanship - how to win graciously
and not give up when encountering defeat.
For children with adjustment issues, there are many examples where chess
has led to increased motivation, improved behavior, better self-image, and even
improved attendance. Chess provides
a positive social outlet, a wholesome recreational activity that can be easily
learned and enjoyed at any age. **
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