Kindergarten Chess Lesson by Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk
Children, Chess and Lots of Fun!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
It's always fun to read about a children's chess tournament. Here is a nice feature by Shannon Holloway in the Bayside Bulletin:
At just 14, Capalaba State College Year 10 student Austen Angel is ready to checkmate anyone after forcing Redlands chess master Andrew Fitzpatrick to forfeit during a recent game. Austen was one of 16 students to face off against Mr Fitzpatrick simultaneously during the school's yearly chess competition. Mr Fitzpatrick beat 15 students until he was left to face Austen.
"I played a pretty defensive game from the beginning because I hadn't actually touched a chess board in over six months," Austen said. "We ended up playing against each other for more than 15 minutes, which got a bit serious, everyone ended up crowding around. "Finally I was in the better position and he ended up forfeiting."
Also Read:7th Alexandra Kosteniuk Chess Cup U-6, U-8, U-10 in Kaliningrad, Russia, October 19-20, 2013
Austen was "pretty chuffed" at his win against Mr Fitzpatrick, but said he was a long way from becoming a national chess master. "I enter a few of the competitions here and there, but there are a lot of players who are undefeated," he said. "It gets pretty serious and really hard to beat them because they are really quick and smart with their moves. "But I'll just keep it up in the long run and see if I can continue to top the school."
Teacher librarian Craig Edgeman said Austen was a talented student who had a natural ability to beat the best. "He played a fantastic game on the day, which was very impressive," he said. "All of our chess players are quite skilful at their game; they're often beating me during lunch times."
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Labels: capalaba state college, children and chess, shannon holloway
Duchess of Cornwall Tries Some Chess! <-- Cool Video
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
On the opening day of the Hay Festival the Duchess of Cornwall plays chess against schoolchildren from a local primary. A fun chess video to watch.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: Chess video, children and chess, duchess of cornwall, hay festival
Chess Instills Skills for Education, Life: Viswanathan Anand
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is a nice report about World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand speaking about the benefits of chess. Anand says, "Playing chess enhances the memory, gives confidence, teaches problem solving, increases concentration!' We couldn't agree more.
The World Chess Champion said at an event to inaugurate a children's chess academy, in India, "Chess teaches you that all moves have consequences." He said chess students showed the students have more confidence.. gave better answers. They showed better aptitude to tackle subjects like maths and physics.
"Good mental training for studies, chess is not only an academic tool but fun as well," said Anand.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel
Labels: children and chess, Viswanathan Anand, world chess champion
Children and chess news: Fun and more fun!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
It feels good when we hear about children learning chess. Here some interesting chess reports about children and chess today on the Internet. Enjoy. Let us know if you were part of any of these chess events for children and do send us more photographs.
Knight moves - Chess club hopes to attract more members: A group of chess enthusiasts has begun meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at PBC Studios, 128 W. Central St. The members meet from 6 to 9 p.m. and are looking for new talent to join. Charlie Myers organized the Madison County Chess Association in February. Read more here.
Kids learn game strategy and how to play chess at Bogota Library: For children looking to learn or play chess, the Bogota Public Library offers a weekly chess program 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Although adults may also join, the program is largely comprised children between the ages of 6 and 10. Around a dozen children practiced their chess moves March 29 at the library's Thursday afternoon Chess program. Volunteer Jonathan Schwartz, the instructor, (blue hoodie) looks on as the kids play against one another.Schwartz teaches the participants the rules of the game, what each chess piece means, how and where to move them and general strategy. "There’s been a chess program for kids off and on for several years. The new teacher has volunteered his time starting last summer, and he’s continued through the year," said Nikki Spiegel, children’s coordinator at the library. Read more here.
When parents play along with kids: At most kids’ chess tournaments, the parents are relegated to waiting in hallways or parking lots while the children compete. At last Saturday’s second annual “Mini Me” Charity Chess Tournament, sponsored by the Chess Club of Fairfield County (CCFC), parents were plucked from the sidelines to play as a team with their child. Read more here.
Got a chess news or article about children? Share it on Chess Blog.
Labels: chess news, children and chess
Teenage chess masters wow Washington!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,
Three prodigies - Joshua Colas, Justus Williams and James Black Jr - are already well-known in the American chess world! They are the youngest chess masters in America at present. Students of the after-school program Chess Challenge in D.C. got a rare chance to meet these three youngsters in a simul recently.
"It's like I'm setting up a puzzle for myself, and once I see the board I have to make the best moves as possible," Williams said. Colas has participated in a simul before, and he said playing multiple boards is just an extension of long hours of study. "I play a lot of chess, so I'm used to certain positions," he said. "The moves just come to me." He told the after-school program he studies and reads about the game for hours every day. "It takes hard work. It takes dedication," he said.
In less than an hour, the young masters zipped through each of their competitors, winning every match. "For me, the most important thing is that [the students] get exposure to three young kids that are basically peers," said Jamaal Abdul-Alim, a coach with Chess Challenge.
It's just great to have kids play chess. Read the original story at this link.
Labels: chess challenge, children and chess, james black jr, joshua colas, justus williams
Eleven-year-old Kazakh girl becomes Women's International Chess Master
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
 A three-time world chess champion, Zhansaya Abdumalik, has become a Women's International Chess Master at the age of 11. She won a children's world championship in Poland for the third time and an international tournament in Indonesia among girls u-20 thereby obtaining the title. She says, "I am closer to the Women's International Grandmaster title now, which is my goal. My opponents are intimidated by me. Children often look at the ranking and your title. Some girls have a stomach ache or a headache. So they get up and just leave."
You can find a nice video at this link about Zhansaya's achievement.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: children and chess, Zhansaya Abdumalik
Garry Kasparov wants chess to be part of education across Europe
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
This has been news for sometime now and we found this latest story on the subject. World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov wants to take chess to the schools across Europe. Here is the nice Reuters story:
Champion Kasparov puts chess at the heart of learning
By Alysha Love
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov sees a hole in the European education system and he knows how to fix it -- one pawn at a time.
Aspiring to hone children's critical thinking, intellectual creativity and problem-solving skills, Kasparov, regarded by many as one of the game's greatest champions, believes chess has a lot to offer education and childhood development.
When it comes to encouraging children to do better in school, he believes chess can not only sharpen cognitive skills but also cut across socio-economic divides in a way that many competitive sports cannot.
"Chess goes beyond all borders. It doesn't have social borders or racial, even physically handicapped people can play," said the Russian, who was the world's top-ranked player for 20 years.
"So the element of the social integration and achievements based on your intellectual ability and your fighting spirit, that makes chess quite a unique element of the modern educational system."
In September, his non-profit Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe, dedicated to integrating chess into the education system, is set to present the EU with its plan for teaching chess to students ages 6 to 18.
You can read the full story at this link.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: children and chess, Garry Kasparov
A sweet story about chess, kids and their chess teacher from Yellow Springs
Chess blog for latest news and trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi Everybody,
It's just so overwhelming to read sweet stories about chess and how it spins the enchanting stories of love between people who might not even speak each other's language. Here is just one great story with a heartwarming photograph from Yellow Springs. YSNews.com, the online edition of the Yellow Springs News, has been the voice of the village since 1880. Here is the full story - both at the link and below.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Check, mates!— Omar Durrani coached local chess enthusiasts on the smart moves at the Emporium last Sunday over a game between Amelie Maruyama, left, and Olivia Ling. Observing and trying so hard not to give away the answers were from left, Zenya Miyazaki, Jacob Woodburn, Eliana Ling and Kai Maruyama. (Photo by Lauren Heaton)
Old game of chess captures youth
At the Emporium last Sunday, a group of local youth gathered around several tables in the back to play the age-old game of chess. At one table, Eliana Ling slid her white pawn out to start the match, and Amelie Maruyama moved a black pawn to mirror her adversary across the checkered grid. Soon two black bishops and a white knight were captured, and the queens were staring each other down from either end of their kingdoms. With a bird’s eye view of the board and a cool head for chess, Zenya Miyazaki was bursting to point out a potential check. “Mr. Omar, Mr. Omar, she didn’t see it!” Ling said, both surprised and impressed with herself. Indeed, she had backed Maruyama’s king into check, and she wanted to expose the feat to their teacher, Omar Durrani. Durrani and several other youth coached the players through the king’s capture before moving on to another table, where Jacob Woodburn and Kai Maruyama were engaged in a similar showdown. They had come because over all the television shows they could have been watching and Xbox video games they could have been playing, they had chosen to get together to play chess. Durrani recalls making a similar choice in the second grade, the year he came to America from his home in India. Instead of playing sports or climbing trees, he was drawn to the two boys hovering quietly over a chess board, engrossed. He didn’t yet speak English well, but it wasn’t long before he taught himself to play chess and found his strength and identity in the game, Durrani said. Six years later, he took third place in the state championships as an eighth grader competing at the high school level. It’s been about 14 years since then, but Durrani’s love for chess recently got him thinking about passing on his passion to the youth of Yellow Springs. Durrani first came to the village several years ago after seeing signs for the college during his commute to attend Wright State University from his home in Columbus. He immediately perceived a kindred spirit in a village that felt welcoming and open to embracing worldly people and ideas, he said. He thought it was a place where chess could thrive. So last year he began teaching chess to the students in the Mills Lawn After School Care Program. He taught about 30 youth to play the game, and was so successful that he held several chess camps last summer at the Emporium, which brought more kids to the game. Despite all the other activities competing for their attention, the kids gravitate to the ancient board game. “Chess is really fun,” Kai said, taking a breather from his portable Nintendo DS while waiting for a turn on the board. “It’s a very, very, very old game,” said his sister Amelie. “These two kings were fighting, and they needed to find a new way to fight, so they started playing chess to see who was stronger.” Those two kings, according to Durrani, were Muslim shahs in sixth-century India who decided to find a peaceful way to settle their claim over land by developing a game that represented a real battle. That history is part of Durrani’s heritage, and he feels the story of his country when he plays. The chess story is also one that youth can learn a lot from, Durrani believes. In it are lessons about strategy and game plan, such as the rule to attack from two directions and always have a backup plan. Chess can teach kids to think ahead before they act, and even in check, Durrani teaches his players to never give up. They exercise math skills by counting points, and they also learn about humility and good sportsmanship by shaking hands after each game and complimenting each other on a game well-played. While chess conjures images of old Russian men hunched over tables in the park, Durrani, a 27-year-old athletic-looking older brother, somehow makes chess seem hip. He praises players for their strengths and is careful to make space for the quiet ones too. They play chess as a group, helping each other to find the smart moves, and they always end with something akin to a sports huddle. “Why do we like chess?!” Durrani prompts them. “Because it’s fun!” they yell back, as they throw their hands into a huddle over the chess board. “One, two, three, chess club!” Durrani feels his chess group could grow into something much bigger than just a local novelty club. While he offers private lessons and organizes regular practice sessions, he is assembling a team of players to take to a chess tournament in Cincinnati the weekend of March 11–12. The event is sponsored by Bengals player Dhani Jones at his Bowtie Café, where a silver knight will be awarded to the champion. Durrani sees strong promise in the Yellow Springs youth and feels they could make a strong showing there. Durrani thinks big, and he firmly believes that Yellow Springs could be a fulcrum for a burgeoning new chess culture. He is grateful to the receptivity he has found in the village, and the opportunity Emporium owner Kurt Miyazaki has given him to use that community space. He welcomes youth, parents and community members to join his effort to grow the chess movement. Labels: chess blog, children and chess, Yellow Springs
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