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Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Chess in the National Curriculum of Kurdistan!
Hello chess blog friends, chess in the national curriculum of Kurdistan! Yes, that's what new agency BasNews - based in Erbil - has reported. The country's Education Ministry plans to add Chess to the national school curriculum. Initially the program will only be implemented in the Kurdish capital, Erbil, and then expand to the rest of the region.
(File photo from Moscow children's tournament)The General Director of the Education Ministry, Burhan Abdullah Argoshi, told a local newspaper that the Khanzad Chess Club had officially requested that the Ministry of Education add Chess to the curriculum and it was accepted. “At first, Chess will only be added to some schools in Erbil, particularly those with high scores in maths, their students will be trained by the Khanzad Chess Club. If the program turns out to be a success, then it will be added to the curriculum in all schools in the Kurdistan Region,” said Argoshi.
Argoshi explained that the director of sports is leading the plan and making preparations for it. “Soon, Chess will be seen as a practical lesson in Erbil’s schools,” concluded Argoshi. Do you know which other countries have chess in their national curriculum?
Record Participation Expected at World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2014 in Hungary
Hello chess blog friends, Only four months after the Chess Olympiad in Tromso where the greatest chess players of the world competed against each other it is already time to have a look at the best talents of the next generation. In December this year Hungary may organize a Chess Olympiad for the first time, the competition for youth aged under 16 years. The event takes place in the city of Győr and with more than a month before the start the organizers have real hope for more participant nations than ever before at any Youth Chess Olympiad. It really seems that the best chess talents of all five continents will be present in Hungary between 12th - 22nd December. Awarding the right of organization to Hungary is a clear sign of high international recognition of chess life in the country which is rightly confirmed by the fact that Judit Polgar who has been leading the women's FIDE world rankings for more than 25 years has agreed to be the face of the event representing talent and the Hungarian chess traditions. By mentioning Judit Polgar let us not forget that after FIDE tightened a rule that had existed earlier participation of girls are now guaranteed. In each team a maximum four of the five team members can be a boy. All the entries till now here: http://wyco2014.chess.hu/entries
The promo video features Judit Polgar, Csaba Balogh, Benjamin Gledura who was European Champion of his age group and Kata Karacsonyi who was the first to follow in the footsteps of Judit Polgar to win the National Championship topping all boys in their age groups. You can see the video by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZuOiBrc5rE
Chess Charity Project for Disabled Kids: World GMs for Children
Hello chess blog friends,
On November 9, within the framework of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian a special session of simultaneous game “World Grandmasters for the children” will be held. The young chess players with physical disabilities will have a unique opportunity to play with the greatest grandmasters of the world. The event is organised by the Tashir Group of Companies, the Russian Chess Federation and the charity Fund "The country of talents" with the program of the all-Russian charity evenings for disabled children "Melody of the game".
Eight children from the Moscow Metropolitan Area correctional schools will contend with the participants of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian held from November 3 till 11 at Novotel Moscow City. A team of grandmasters will compete with the children: the World Cup holder, three-time Olympic Chess Champion Levon Aronian (Armenian), the ex-world champion Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), the two-time World Blitz Chess Champion Alexander Grischuk (Russia), the Vice World Chess Champion Boris Gelfand (Israel), the Vice World Champion Peter Leko (Hungary), the China’s leading grandmaster Din LiZhen, the two-time Chess Champion of Russia Alexander Morozevich and the winner of the Russian Championship Higher Leagues Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia).
The judge of the "World Grandmasters for the children” simultaneous game will be Boris Postovsky – the chief judge of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian. The grandmaster Rafael Vaganian will reward the participating children of the session.
Zara Agemian, head of communications and marketing of the Tashir group of companies: "Disabled children have unlimited mental capacity, a great will-power to overcome all difficulties on the way to the victory. Any actions today are shaping the tomorrow, and our task is to create the conditions contributing to the intellectual development of the younger generation. We are happy to be able to hold a special tournament for children within the framework of the main tournament and to give children the chance to play and socialize with the greatest grandmasters of modernity".
Rafael Vaganian, the grandmaster, the Chairman of the appellation committee of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian:
"For the improvement of the young players, live communications with the leading grandmasters of the world play a great role and computers can’t replace it. I remember many years ago all boys and I used to look at Tigran Petrosian, how greedily we were devouring every word of the great champion! This game for disabled children will surely give them plenty of bright emotions and inspire for a deeper study of chess. Our game brings people together and stays with us for life!"
The main aim of the evening is to attract the attention of the public and the media to the possibility of self-realisation and socialisation of disabled children through studying chess.
Qatargas invites young chess enthusiasts to second Qatargas Chess Championship
Hello chess blog friends, this chess news is from Doha where the second edition of the Qatargas Chess Championship, a chess tournament for children in the age group of 6 - 14 years, organized by the Qatar Chess Association will be held at the Copthorne Hotel Doha from 13 - 15 November 2014. The tournament is open to all residents of Qatar.
This was announced at a joint press conference held at the Qatargas Doha Head Office attended by Mansour Rashid Al Naimi, Public Relations Manager, Qatargas and Mohammed Ahmed Al Modaihki, General Secretary of the Qatar Chess Association.
Commenting on Qatargas’ support for the championship, Mohammed Ahmed Al Modaihki, General Secretary of the Qatar Chess Association, said: “We thank Qatargas for its continued support to this championship which will help to further promote the game of Chess in Qatar particularly amongst the youngsters. Last years’ tournament was a great success and we hope to attract even more participants this year. Chess, as we all know, has great benefits in terms of enhancing the mental skills of children and boosts their academic achievement. Qatargas’ support to this event underlines the Company’s commitment to the local community and its keenness in supporting the overall development of our young generation.”
Mansour Rashid Al Naimi, Qatargas Public Relations Manager said: “We are pleased to continue our support to the Qatar Chess Association in organizing this tournament, which will provide an excellent opportunity for young chess enthusiasts in Qatar to compete against each other and test their skills. Our support to the game of chess is part of a strategy we have adopted in promoting sporting activities that are gaining popularity in Qatar. The aim of this strategy is to help in nurturing young talents in the country by creating opportunities for them to develop further, thereby contributing to achieving the Human Development goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.”
Explaining further details of the tournament, Mr. Al Modahihki noted that the championship will start at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 13 November and will conclude by 8 p.m. on Saturday 15 November. Registration of players will begin at the Copthorne Hotel on Thursday, 13 November from 4 p.m. onwards. The championship will comprise a total of nine rounds with each round lasting up to 20 minutes. Valuable prizes are being offered to winners and participants. (Press release) From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also
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May 18 Chess for Kids hosted by British School of New York - Register Now
Hi chess friends, for all the chess kids waiting to play chess in New York, here's the big opportunity. The British International School of New York Hosts Chess Tournament. (May 18, 2014)
Location:15 Waterside Plaza, New York, NY 10010-2612 (Dining Hall).
There is still time to register! Come and play!
Parents, enjoy the views and a hot cup of coffee while your children play in one of the friendliest chess tournaments in the city. Refreshments will be served.
Tournament Format and Schedule: On-Site registrations from 9:00am-9:30am. Rounds begin at 10:00am.
Swiss System. Note: Sections may be combined.
Sections: Grades Pre-K-K; Game 30, 0 time delay- Unrated Novice Open 1-8; Game 30, 0 time delay- Unrated Open Under 799 Rating; Game 45, 0 time delay- USCF Rated
Championship Over 800 Rating; Game 45, 0 time delay- USCF Rated
Rounds Schedule: Pre-K-K: 3 Rounds; 10:00 am - 1:00pm; Awards at 1:15pm. Novice Open 1-8: 3 Rounds; 10:00 am - 1:00pm; Awards at 1:15pm. Open Under 799: 4 Rounds; 10:00 am - 4:15pm; Awards at 4:30pm. Championship Over 800: 4 Rounds; 10:00 am - 4:15pm; Awards at 4:30pm. Register early online and save! $30 Early Registration Fee extended until Wednesday, May 14, 2014.
Advanced registration rates end at Noon on the day before the event. See our website for complete details. Trophies for ALL Players! Visit the website for complete details.
Annual Glenwood Invitational Chess Tournament for Kids held
Hello everyone,
Chess players from all township elementary schools were invited to participate in the fifth annual Glenwood Invitational Chess Tournament on March 15.
The tournament had two sections: Section One was for kindergarten through second grade and Section Two for third through fifth grade. In total 94 students representing all five elementary schools participated. There were 50 players in section one and 44 players played in section two, and trophies were given to the top five finalists in each section while medals were given to the sixth to tenth place winners.
In Section One, all five places were won by second grade students. The first place went to Yash Adlakha from Glenwood School, while second place went to Brandon Wang from Deerfield School and Aiden Lu from Glenwood won third place. South Mountain School second grader Eli Rosenblatt came in at fourth place and Hartshorn School's Shreyas Hariharan came in fifth place out of fifty players.
In Section Two, Michael Chen, a third grader from Deerfield School, won first place, while Henry Siegel, a fourth grader from South Mountain, came in second. Third graders Ethan Itkis from Deerfield and Warren Bu from Glenwood came in third and fourth place. They were followed by Deerfield fifth grader Joshua Warner.
This tournament is conducted annually by Glenwood school and organized by principal David Jasin and parent volunteers Shyamala Shanmugadas and Kevin Kade. (See more at: http://www.northjersey.com)
London Chess Classic 2012: Entry Free for Children
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 4th London Chess Classic will again be offering free admission to children for the duration of the event that will run from December 1st to 10th 2012. And by popular demand, the organizers are again offering a comprehensive program of schools activities for children.Adult and junior ticket holders will receive admission to the tournament, being staged at London’s prestigious Olympia Conference Centre, plus a guaranteed seat in the auditorium and access to the Commentary Room, where some of the UK’s leading Grandmasters will be giving their insights on each day’s play and also answering spectator questions on the game.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
We have a prayer: May the blessing of chess be upon every child who is ever born. May we share the love of chess on the planet for a greater love and a better world. May chess heal the world as we all come together to spreads the message of fun, peace, and joy for a world without boundaries, without fear, without war.
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12th Women's World Chess Champion
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(File photo from Moscow children's tournament)The General Director of the Education Ministry, Burhan Abdullah Argoshi, told a local newspaper that the Khanzad Chess Club had officially requested that the Ministry of Education add Chess to the curriculum and it was accepted. “At first, Chess will only be added to some schools in Erbil, particularly those with high scores in maths, their students will be trained by the Khanzad Chess Club. If the program turns out to be a success, then it will be added to the curriculum in all schools in the Kurdistan Region,” said Argoshi. 
