Cool Chess Video from Chess-is-Life Club in Niles, Ohio
Struggling Chess Club Becomes Top Chess Club in UK
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
This is an interesting chess story about a club that was struggling to survive seven years ago, but now has been named the top club in the United Kingdom.
An Oxford Times feature states, "Witney Chess Club had just a handful of members and struggled to enter competitions but now has a pool of 40 players, many of them youngsters. They have been named by the English Chess Foundation, the body that oversees chess in the UK, as the top club in the country."
The award follows the success of their young players, who – after teaming up with Cumnor Chess Club – won the junior national league last year. Mike Truran, the club treasurer, said: “We are absolutely delighted.
“It gives confirmation that all the hard work we have been trying to put in place is worth it and is recognised by the English chess scene.”
It has been a remarkable turn in fortunes for the club, which Mr Truran said was on the brink of closure just seven years ago. He added: “A handful of volunteers said enough is enough, we are going to turn it around, and we are delighted we have now been successful.“ The club, which meets on Monday evenings in Ducklington, focuses on recruiting young players and often goes into schools to teach the game.
Mr Truran said: “Chess is a very good educational tool and in many European counties it is on the school curriculum. “It is seen as very good at developing cognitive skills – logic, pattern recognition and memory learning – and in team games, which we concentrate on, it teaches team work and playing for others.”
He added: “It is very encouraging in Witney at the moment and we are very hopeful for the future. “We have got a very strong crop of juniors coming through and if they carry on it is possible they will be in the running for national championships in the future.”
Next year, Oxfordshire’s top young player, Marcus Harvey, who is ranked third under 17 player in the country, will join the team and help teach.
Mr Truran added: “For me, chess is about the comradery of playing as part of a team – the game has a fantastic social side.
“But I also like seeing the junior players coming through and getting stronger so that they can take over from us lot one day.”
Witney Chess Club was originally founded in the 1960s and, before its fall, had one of the highest memberships of any club in the UK in the 1990s.
Labels: chess club, cumnor chess club, english chess foundation, mike truran, witney chess club
Hunger Games Chess Today in Tucson (Aug 18) - Are You Playing?
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Hunger Games Chess Tournament is today to celebrate the worldwide DVD release of The Hunger Games with 9Queens and the Pima County Public Library at the Murphy Wilmot Library (530 N. Wilmot Ave, Tucson, AZ).
The event is free and open to the public. Check-in will begin at 10 am; there will be 3 rounds held throughout the day. Free lunch will be provided to all participants. For more information visit website or email jhoffman@9queens.org.
Play Like A Girl
9 Queens co-founder Jen Shahade's latest book, Play Like a Girl! was just released from Mongoose Press. The book is filled with chess puzzles and combinations, all executed by female chess champions. The book is available at 9queens.org and all author royalties go to 9 Queens initiatives to bring chess to those most in need of its benefits. (Phone:520-344-7495) Photos: Jeff Smith.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: 9queens, chess club, chess tournament, hunger games, jeff smith, Jennifer Shahade, play like a girl, tucson chess
It's never too late to learn chess!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Indeed, it's never too late to learn chess. That's what this nice article about seniors at a chess club is all about.
Bundaberg Chess Club members are promoting the game as a potent weapon in the fight against dementia and diseases such as Alzheimer's. According to studies, the ancient game can strengthen mental acuity and potentially prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
Bundaberg Chess Club secretary Allan Menham said the benefits of the game were not lost on the more senior members of the club.
"Some of our members are into their 70s and others are approaching retirement age," he said.
"Chess is a very simple way in which older people can keep their minds healthy and active.
"The benefits have been scientifically proven many times over."
Mr Menham said it was never too late to learn the game and he welcomed prospective members.
He said chess attracted people from all walks of life, which made for an interesting and competitive club.
"It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are - you're all playing by the same rules," he said.
"Chess is the great leveller."
Mr Menham said the board game was also an affordable activity for older people who were trying to keep their minds active.
"All you really need is a chessboard. Once you have one of those, you're pretty much set for life," he said.
The Bundaberg Chess Club meets every Wednesday night at the U3A rooms on Woongarra St from 6.30pm.
To contact the club for information phone 41517469 or 0417073094.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: bundaberg chess club, chess club, seniors chess
Chess Club finds home after 50 years
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010
 The Scarborough Chess Club
Hi Everyone,
Chess clubs have a tradition of their own. Some of the worlds most well-known chess clubs have seen chess greats come and go and anecdotes get woven into the history of the clubs. There is a charm about chess clubs that cannot be explained in words - Internet craze can come and go.
So, we like to share this nice little story about a chess club finding a home - hopefully - after 50 years. The Toronto Observer has this nice article on how the Scarborough Chess Club has a near-permanent address.
Josef Jacobsen writes:
After an unsettled 50 years, the Scarborough Chess Club (SCC) may have finally found a permanent home.
The SCC, for much of its half-century existence, has moved from venue to venue due to operating costs and fluctuating membership. For the past year, the SCC has met in the Birkdale Community Centre.
“It’s a great facility. It’s the right size for us and it’s really accessible,” said SCC treasurer Andrew Philip. “As long as we pay our dues on time, it looks like we’re going to stay here.” This stability is a welcome change, said club president Maurice Smith.
“We were at Macey Hall [when the club started in 1960], which was around Victoria Park and Danforth, and we’ve moved at least seven times since then,” said Smith, who joined the SCC in 1976.
The club almost closed on many occasions due to enrolment trouble in the face of computer chess dominance in the ’90s and 2000s.
“People started playing chess on the Internet and I saw membership start to drop,” Philip said. “We were down to about a dozen people in the mid ’90s. It looked pretty grim.” More players are now favouring face-to-face chess over online chess, Smith said.
Even Shirov has played at the club. Check out great photos of the club and the rest of the article here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: chess club
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