Levon Aronian to Lead US Chess Camp July 9-13
Hello everyone,
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian GM Levon Aronian will lead a summer chess camp July 9-13, 2014 in Glendale, California.
The Chess Federation of Armenia informed “Armenpress” that the camp is organized by Metropolitan Chess Company and the American Chess Academy (director Armen Ambartsoumian). The assistants of Aronian during the camp will be particularly Armenian chess players - GM Melikset Khachiyan, IM Andranik Matikozyan, IM Armen Ambartsoumian, WGM Tatev Abrahamian.
Levon Aronian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster. On the May 2012 FIDE list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2825, making him the third highest rated player in history.
Aronian won the Chess World Cup 2005. He led the Armenian national team to the Gold medals in the 2006 (Turin), 2008 (Dresden) and 2012 (Istanbul) Chess Olympics and at the World Team Chess Championship in Ningbo 2011. He won the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, qualifying him for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012, where he was knocked out in the first round. He was also World Chess960 Champion in 2006 and 2007, World Rapid Chess Champion in 2009, and World Blitz Chess Champion in 2010.
Levon Aronian was declared the best sportsman of Armenia in 2005 and was awarded the title of "Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Armenia" in 2009.
Labels: chess camp, levon aronian, us chess
Orrin the Chess Motivator helps Inner City Youth with Leadership Camp
Hello everyone,
Details:
Spring Break Chess Camp
Be Someone, Inc. Headquarters
949 Stephenson Road
Stone Mountain, Georgia
770-465-6445
Monday, April 8 to Friday April 11, 2014- 9am to 3pm
We have more updates about Orrin Checkmate Hudson's chess camp! The “Master Motivator Teacher and Mentor”, will hold his annual Spring Break Leadership Chess Camp from Monday, April 7 through Friday, April 11, 2014 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. This week long leadership camp will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with early drop-off and late pickup available. Hudson will use his signature chess skills and abilities as he offers information, insight and advice on the importance of making every move in life count.
Hudson has trained more than 40,000 students and his goal is to reach one million youngsters as he continues to train new teachers/motivators to spread the positive life lessons learned through the game of chess. Hudson is a believer in the ‘pay it forward’ concept.
“I was a young know-it-all teenager in Alabama and I was on the road to certain destruction and possibly even a premature death, ” he readily admits. “But I had a teacher who saw potential in me, I’m not sure what that was, but he taught me the game of chess.” Hudson is quick to say that seemingly simple act “saved my life.”
“By using the game of chess, my teacher showed me that for every move I make on the chess board there are consequences,” he adds. Hudson then stresses what is the bottom line of this game. “I not only learned how to play chess but I also gained self-esteem and realized I could be someone if only I chose the right moves in my life.”
Hudson went on to serve as an Alabama State Trooper but later realized his true calling. “I knew I had to give back. I saw too many young African American males headed down the wrong path – gangs, drugs, crime, sexual irresponsibility, no education and focus -, the same path I was on until someone cared enough to set me straight.” Hudson deftly uses the thinking man’s game of chess to both teach and mentor at the same time. It is a combination that is both effective and unobtrusive.
“These kids love this game and it opens doors. They often are surprised that they can handle the game that many educated adults shy away from, but more importantly they naturally learn life-lessons along the way.” Hudson rattles off some of those skills, “Responsibility, consequences for every action, think, think, and think some more.” He counsels them that they are important just as they are and that they hold unlimited potential inside. Working from his Atlanta training site, Hudson can often be found moving back and forth from multiple chess boards making moves and offering advice at the same time. It is apparent to any and all that he cares personally for each one of his students.
The young people who have had the good fortune to cross his path often say Hudson has been a guiding light in their lives as he has helped them learn how to solve problems and overcome challenges. “Successful people are not people without problems,” he stresses, “they are people who learn to solve their problems.” This is the lesson Hudson so adamantly teaches with his Be Someone program. He is resolute in his prediction. “We will reach these teens through this game and teach them how to think on their feet. They will be somebody and we will all win because of it!”
Hudson seems to have a saying for every circumstance. From his new facility in the shadow of famous Stone Mountain, Hudson often encourages many young people intently studying the chess board in front of them with something like this, “Every wall is a door every obstacle is an opportunity. That’s how you have to look at life. Attitude is everything.” It really is music to these young ears.
About Orrin Hudson and Be Someone
Orrin Hudson is on a mission to empower one million young people using the game of chess to teach them problem-solving strategies, life skills, and to offer kids them a positive alternative to gangs, drugs, crime, and violence. In his assemblies, kids learn practical skills and techniques to overcome obstacles, seize opportunities, and realize their potential. Hudson instructs, educates, motivates, and inspires, and uses catchy phrases, like “Push Pawns, Not Drugs” and “Heads Up, Pants Up, Grades Up,” to reinforce his overall message. Since 2001, Hudson has taught more than 20,000 kids to make every move count. For more information, go to www.besomeone.org.
Labels: Be Someone, chess camp, orrin huddson
No Work Visa, No Chess Camp: U.S. Authorities to GM Van Wely
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Chess Vibes has just reported that On Monday night at Newark Airport Loek van Wely was denied to enter the United States because he "lacked a work visa". When the Dutch grandmaster told the authorities that, among other things, he was going to teach chess to American kids, they considered this an illegal working activity. As a result of that, Van Wely's entry was refused, he got detained, handcuffed and escorted by police to a plane and deported.
Monday, July 9th at 21.30 Loek van Wely arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport. He had just started a big trip to the USA. As always, at customs he was asked what he was going to do in the USA, and he explained that he would celebrate holidays, play poker, play chess and participate in two chess camps.
This attracted their attention,
Van Wely told Chess Vibes on the phone on Wednesday night.
"I explained that I was going to teach kids chess, and they asked if I would be earning money with this. I said yes, and told them how much. Then they detained me."
Van Wely was held in a small room for eight hours, and had to hand over his mobile phone.
"I was allowed to make one phone call, as if I was some dangerous criminal. I called the Duch consulate, but they couldn't help me," said Van Wely. On Tuesday morning at 04:30 AM he was handcuffed and escorted to a terminal. There he had to wait for another 4.5 hours before he was escorted by police to a plane which flew him back to London. (He had also flown to Newark via London.)
Besides visiting Atlantic City, New York and Las Vegas, Van Wely was going to coach quite strong teenagers, rated between 2200 and 2500, in Saint Louis for a few days. Later he would also join a short chess camp in L.A.
"Instead of considering this a noble act, they looked at this as an illegal working activity. (...) I was surprised I didn't end up in Guantanamo Bay," Van Wely wrote on Facebook, where he revealed the whole affair in a status update on Wednesday.
The Dutch grandmaster said he understands that a working visa is required for his coaching work. "However, the reaction was heavily exaggerated. The thing is, they are never bothered when you tell them you will play a chess tournament, and you have a chance to win some money. And for a chess player, making money with coaching comes down to the same thing, but for the authorities it's very different. They see coaching, much more than playing, as work."
Last year Van Wely also took part in a chess camp in Los Angeles, before playing in a tournament there.
"I only started recently with these chess camps, so it's not a regular income or anything. And it was just going to be ten days; it's not that I was going to doing a lot of work in the States."
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: chess camp, Chess coaching, Loek Van Wely, US visa
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